I'm done!
by mahsa
Summary: So, what happened after Steffy told Wyatt that she and Bill were in love once at the end of One shot #5 of my One Shot collection What if...? Read to find out! Then review! I suggest you read that particular one shot first to get up to date with this story. Do not own a single thing!
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**

 **DISCLAIMER, Don't own a freaking thing when it comes to the show, otherwise things would not have ended up the way they did!**

 **Yeah, so I can't help myself.**

 **During the commute to work these last few weeks, I've been planning out a story that's a continuation on chapter five of my What if... chapter _What if Steffy had enough of Liam´s disrespect for her feelings after he ended up on a plane to Australia with Ivy?._ If you have not read that chapter, please read it before reading this! So here goes.**

Previously on I'm done.

" _If you want it to happen I can send Liam to Spencer Publications in New York!" Bill gives one of his big smiles as Steffy chuckles._

" _That's not necessary, he can stay in LA, I just need him out of the building." Steffy´s eyes are sparkling again and Bill realizes just how much of ´his´ Steffy has vanished when she's been with Liam._

" _It's always an option! Tell me and I'll do it!" Bill gives Steffy a big hug, places his hands on her arms and gives her a kiss on her forehead and then he leaves._

" _What was that kiss that my dad just gave you about?" Wyatt asks._

" _We were in love once. A long time ago. Just before Liam saved me." Steffy gives a small smile as she looks at Wyatt._

 **I'm done**

Chapter one

Wyatt is shocked.

"You and my dad were in love once? Before Liam saved you?" He scratches his head as he remembers something Steffy said during her explanation of the Steffy – Liam – Hope triangle.

" _He had come to give me the key your father had to the loft I had bought for us and I had slipped in the tub hitting my head. Since he didn't hear me come to open the door, he decided to let himself in with the key he had in his hand and saw my leg laying over the edge of the tub, but he couldn't see my head. So he runs over screaming my name and that's the first time he saw me naked."_

" _the key your father had...the key your father had...the key your father had..loft I had bought for us...loft I had bought for us...loft I had bought for us."_

"Yeah, we were, fortunately Katie had her heart attack and he ended it with me, unfortunately it lead us to this. Me hopelessly devoted to a man who didn't love me like he should have and your father getting hocked on the Brooke Logan-bug. But my brief relationship with your father helped me grow as a person and heal from the pain of loosing Phoebe." Steffy had walked from where she'd been standing while talking to Bill to the desk in the office to once again look at the samples Wyatt had brought with him.

"Anyway, let's get back to business. I like them all so continue along those lines. I wanted to talk to your mother about something though so can you tell her to come on over to see me sometime soon?" Steffy picks up the samples and hands them back over to Wyatt with a smile on her face. She watches him walk out of the office and then she calls her father.

I'm done!

 _Two hours or so later._

She's talking with her father when there's a knock on the door, Ridge get's up to answer it.

"Hi Quinn, Steffy said she wanted to talk to us both about something and I have no idea what about." Ridge looks slightly confused.

Quinn reaches her hand out to shake hands with both Steffy and Ridge.

"Well, I take it both of you wonder what nerve I've got to ask the CEO of Forrester Creations to come to a meeting with the President and the head of the jewelry department? Well, this is something I've been thinking about for a long time and I really think it's time we did something to honor Aly, Darla, Macy and Phoebe and what better way than to create shoes, jewelry, perfumes and maybe some different make up products in honor of them? Maybe a clothing line in honor of Macy? I know Aly wanted a shoe line, but Rick wouldn't let her have it." They can see that Steffy is very passionate about this idea and neither of them see any problems with it.

"I'll start designing the jewelry line when I get back to HQ, but I gotta ask, is this jewelry line added to the current line or is it instead of?" Quinn asks.

"It's a separate line all together. We would need four subdivisions as well for it. One for Macy, one for Darla, one for Phoebe and one for Aly, Aly will also get her shoe line, Phoebe will get the perfumes, Darla will get a line of make up and Macy will get a formal wear line. There will also be a clothing line in honor of all four women. I also do not want Maya to be the model for any of these lines. I'll do the shoes and jewelry, Caroline will do the make up and then I was thinking about maybe making Hope, Bridget, Katie and mom do the clothing line. What I mean is that the clothes has to be able to be worn by women of all ages so why not show them on a woman in her early 20´s as well as a woman in her 30´s, 40´s and 50´s, only difference is the styling, which is where the different lines of jewelry and accessories comes in. What do you think?" There's a spark in Steffy´s eyes that hasn't been seen for the last few months and the other people in the room notice it.

"I'm okay with that, how long do I have? Also, you seem different somehow?" Quinn brings out her phone to add a reminder for when it has to be done.

"Well, dad has to approve the idea first, but I was thinking that we would try and have it all finished for the fall fashion show or spring next year at the latest. Make up and perfumes have to be completed in bulk when we launch the jewelry, shoes and clothes, but those three can be produced as orders come in or do you think we should have a limited edition attached to it? Maybe do a repeat of them during the years to come? With regards to me seeming different, I guess that's what single life does to a girl!" Steffy gives a huge smile as she's saying the last sentence.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that dad, but we can do that after Quinn leaves. What do you say about my idea?" She turns her head to her father.

"We need to talk about all of this with the people involved and see what they say and then I can say that it's a definite go, but I really think it's a good idea. I also think that producing in a limited amount with the option to produce more is a good idea. Can I just ask why you chose Katie and your mother over Katie and Brooke? Although I think I might already know the answer, but I mean, you chose Hope and Bridget?" Ridge asks.

"I chose Katie and mom because Katie needs something to focus on based on stuff I've heard the last few weeks, Katie will not want to work with her sister and I always wanted mom to come work for this company again. And having mom work with Brooke would not work out. Macy, Darla and Mom were really close before Darla and Macy died and though mom is the one who was driving the car that Darla fell into, the relationship they had before trumps that. I've never hated Bridget and besides the whole Liam fiasco made Hope and I evolve our relationship into a good place so we're good now. Brooke and I however will never be. I was thinking maybe we could bring back the Intimates line as well and have Maya do that, maybe together with Sasha?" Steffy shuffles some papers around on the desk searching for something.

"Yeah, I had a feeling. Putting Intimates on hold was a dumb idea, I really shouldn't have done that so maybe we should see what Maya and Sasha do during a photo shoot for it? If it doesn't work out, maybe you can take over again?" Ridge agrees. "So we'll need to talk to them too then?"

"Yes. We're gonna dig up some old family videos so that you can get a hold on who they were when they were alive. The Aly that you've met isn't who she used to be. We'll ship them over to the Jewels HQ when we find them!" Steffy tells Quinn. "We need to talk to the people involved and then we'll give you the go ahead. You do not have to produce anything right now, but do some sketches maybe?"

"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll focus on the current line for now and then when I get the tapes I'll get to start on the, what do we call it?" Quinn brings up a good point.

"I was thinking Memories or something along does lines?" Steffy smiles.

"Okay, I'll start up a folder in my cabinet and my computer for it. Are we in sync now so that I can go do my job?" Quinn starts getting off the chair she's been sitting on as she's antsy to get to work.

"Yeah, I think we're done for the day. Dad and I have something to talk about. We'll talk in a little while to get through some stuff. Have a good rest of the day and by the way, I really liked the pieces Wyatt brought with him a little while ago and I hope he knows I'm sorry Liam punched him!"Steffy bids Quinn good bye and then she turns to her father the moment after Quinn has left the room and closed the door.

"Now, Liam and I are done, I've talked to Bill about changing the person he has given his power of attorney too in regards to his shares and Liam is not welcome in the building until he has come to terms with the fact that we are done. He's also not wanted in my life until that happens. I'm done fighting for something that he obviously did not deem as important, significant and valuable as I did. So, Wyatt or Justin will take over for Liam. Wyatt needed to think about it for a day because of his duties at his mothers company, so we'll have to see who's taking over as Vice President at Forrester Creations. I'm sorry things had to go this far, but I can't work with a man that only deems me important enough when I've let him go. I know he stood by my side during the whole thing that happened last fall, but I've been supporting him for years, while he hasn't. I hope you understand." Steffy informs her father.

"Yeah, I get it. I've seen what you've gone through for that man and I'm surprised you haven't had enough before this." Ridge agrees.

"Oh trust me, when he married Ivy without even trying to find out if she actually was about to be deported was the final straw, but he wormed his way back in after that. But this time he let Ivy tell him she loved him and had only settled for Wyatt because he was with me and he was going to let Wyatt marry this girl even though he knew she'd rather be with him. Then the whole staircase incident happened and it ended with him going on a plane to Australia with Ivy. That was way to much." Steffy sighs.

"Anyway I'm moving on and I hope he does too. This also has nothing to do with me wanting Hope to be a part of Memories. I just think it's time for her to come back and what better time to do it?" Steffy sighs. "Should we put Thomas on the Intimates line and let you, granddad and Caroline focus on Memories? If so we need to talk to Thomas, Caroline and granddad as well. I'm wondering about Granddad because he seems to have lost a little of himself since Rick cheated him out of the CEO-position."

"Yeah, I'll talk to Dad about it. Caroline and Thomas also, we've already talked to Quinn so will you talk to the Logan-girls and I'll ask the Avant girls and you can talk to your mother?" Ridge suggests.

"Sounds good to me. I'll get right on it, starting with Katie and Bridget, mom and Hope are in Europe so I'll wait a little to call them. Now we've got stuff planned out for the first stage of Memories, so let's get to work. We'll meet again tomorrow at lunchtime to see where we're at? Hopefully with the others as well to discuss it all with them." Steffy nods.

Steffy picks up the phone and calls Bridget´s doctors office in New York.

"Dr. Forrester speaking. How may I help you?" Bridget asks politely.

"Hi Bridget! It's Steffy! How are you? How is Logan?" The curiosity evident in her voice.

"Hi Steffy! We're good both of us. Work is taking off so I've got a lot to do, thankfully I've got Owen and Jackie just next door so Logan is always taken care of, he's turning 6 this year so school has started. Life is good!" Bridget explains.

"That's good! I like that you're happy. I have a question though. This is something I've wanted to do for about 5 months now, when the shock wore off that Aly died. Would you like to be part of an ad-campaign for a new line we're thinking about doing in honor of Aly, Darla, Macy and Phoebe? There will be shoes, make up, perfumes,clothes and jewelry. We were thinking of having you, Hope, Katie and mom model the clothing line, I'll do the shoes and jewelry, Caroline will do make up and when it comes to the perfumes, I thought we'd let the bottles do the talking. What do you think?" Steffy twirls the phone cord between her fingers.

"It's an amazing idea, but I don't know if I can, what with work and Logan and everything. When do you think this would be happening?" Bridget searches for her calendar.

"Oh, it won't happen for at least six more months, we will however need your sizes if you do want and can do it, because we'll put all of you in the same clothes and then style them differently with accessories and shoes and make up and such to show that you can actually wear the same thing in your fifties as your twenties, it's just a matter of styling it correctly. It'll all be clothes you can were on an everyday basis, so no long gowns and such." Steffy explains making it almost impossible to say no.

"Well, I have to talk to Jackie and Owen about them taking Logan for a little while and I'll need to talk to my boss and a few other people. Just let me know when the definite decision has been made. It'll be fun working with Hope and Katie and I've always adored your mother! Don't really know Caroline all that much, even though she was married to my brother. I think this is a wonderful idea though!" Bridget writes a post it note to remind herself that she needs to talk to people about this. "I guess I'll hear from you soon?"

"Yeah, I'll be in touch Friday at the latest to let you know what's happening. I hope you have a good week and I'll talk to you soon!" Steffy bids her aunt good bye and then sends her ex mother in law a text to come see her. She starts composing an e-mail that would go out to all employes and those that would be involved in Memories. She's about to click the save button when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in!" The door opens and Katie walks through the door. "Hi Katie!" Steffy says with a smile, then she notice Katie´s eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Hi Steffy!" Katie says somewhat happily, but you can tell she's been crying. "No, I'm not. I can't believe I'm talking to you about this, but you've been there, on the other end. As the child in a family my sister is tearing apart."

"What's Brooke done now?" The connection instant.

"She's told my husband she loves him. Oh, not just that she loves him, that he's the greatest love of her life and that she's still **in love** with him. However, you wanted to see me about something. What can I do for you?" Katie shakes the miserable feelings off and focuses on Steffy.

"Well, I've had this idea in my head for a few months now and I was wondering if you'd be willing to help us by modeling a new line we might be producing as a way to honor Aly, Darla, Macy and Phoebe. We're thinking about calling it Memories and there will be shoes, jewelry, make up, perfumes and clothes. I'll be modeling the closeups for the shoes and jewelry, Caroline will do the make up and you, Bridget, Hope and my mom will model the clothes, when it comes to the perfumes, we're going to let the bottles do the modeling. I've already talked to Bridget and she wouldn't commit until she knew when the launch would happen and who were going to be in it. I'm gonna talk to my mom and Hope early tomorrow morning. It's to late now. My father and I were planning to have a meeting tomorrow with those that can attend." Steffy explains while Katie listens closely.

"That sounds really intriguing. I'd love to do that. But why didn't you choose Brooke instead of me?" Katie asks surprised that Brooke hadn't even been mentioned.

"Well, you remember what happened last time she saw my mother?" Steffy points out.

"Oh, yeah. That. Can I just ask if you'd do something for me?" Katie removes the scarf she's wearing to reveal the scar from her heart transplant. When she glances up again she's got tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll talk to my dad and see what we can do about that. We'll do something for Storm as well, an after shave maybe, some ties and a menswear collection, we'll see what we can do. Maybe Thorne can come and model it together with Wyatt, Bill and Granddad." Steffy writes a note on her computer about that. She then looks up and focuses on Katie. "With regards to Brooke and her saying Bill is the greatest love of her life. If a woman is ready to go over the body of her dead sister to get a man, neither she or the man is worth it. I think it's time you left Bill for good and cut Brooke out completely. She's done this countless times before and she'll do it again and again if you let her back in. You just find a man you know would not touch her with a ten foot pole ever or again."

"And where would I find a guy like that?" Katie inquires.

"Well, you never know, he might be closer then you think!" Just as Steffy says this, there's a knock on her door. "Come in!"

In walks some faces from the past, CJ and Clark Garrison along with Kimberly Fairchild. Steffy jumps out of her chair.

"Hey! What are you three doing here?" She almost runs over to hug all three of them.

"Well, we heard you were going to produce a line in honor of Macy and Darla and thought we could help some how." Clark responds.

"And who did you hear that from? I mean, it's all confidential business talk right now." Confusion is all over Steffy´s beautiful face.

"Well, Bridget called CJ, CJ called me and I called Kimberly, since both me and Kimberly were already in LA and CJ was home in San Francisco, he just had to come here." Clark explains.

"But I only talked with Bridget less then an hour ago." The confusion only increases.

"We really want to do this, so can we please?" Kimberly almost begs.

"I need to talk to dad first, but I don't see any reasons why not. We'll see what we can come up with. Could you to consider modeling the men´s part of the line?" Steffy turns to Clark and CJ first, who nods their heads. "What about you? You think you can work with mom, Katie, Bridget and Hope?"

"Absolutely, I always loved both Bridget and your mom, haven't had the chance to meet Hope yet and Katie and I never had the chance to get to know each other, she was already in New York in college when I came to LA." Kimberly states.

What followed after this was a chance for Kimberly and Katie to get to know each other a little bit and CJ and Clark to get to know Steffy a little better.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **This was a good place to stop this chapter I felt like. Next chapter will hold a conversation between Ridge and Eric, Caroline and Thomas, Steffy and Taylor and Steffy and Hope as well as a redial to Bridget and also some other things.**

 **Yes, I know that the Bill in the What if... chapter seems like the Bill we used to know who actually respected his wife until he dipped himself into the Brooke Logan-pool, but Bill when he's in contact with Steffy has always been different then what he's been when in contact with Katie or Brooke, so it makes sense.**

 **I've let fan fiction take a little break for the last few months because I've not been happy with what's been going on on the show and there has been things happening in my life. But I'm back now and I'd love to get reviews from everyone who reads this first chapter of my brand new story. Let me know if I've used the wrong words and stuff like that and of course what you feel about it. Is it a strong enough story that I should continue posting the chapters that I have written already? I guess what I'm asking is if you want to continue to read this story.**

 **Now, I'd like to promote a piece of music that has taken over my life lately(meaning the last few hours as I write the end of this author note. It's by Nathan Lanier and is called Torn. Look it up! It was used in the final dance for the movie High Strung(great movie by the way if you like dance films!) and for the Top 20 routine of the finale Scores show for the ninth season of So you think you can dance, that routine is AMAZING! Chills all around!**

 **I'd also want to thank everyone who's read and also those who reviewed the first chapter of Things happen. I finished chapter two today(there will be more!) and it will be up in a few weeks, I need to write some more chapters for it first. I like to have a few on my shelves before posting more. I've got seven chapters of this story written as I post this and should be able to update at least once a month, maybe even every two weeks. We'll see**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**

 **I don't know if the texting part of this chapter will show up the way I want it to, but if it doesn't, the conversation between Ridge and Steffy is a conversation done through FC´s message program within the company´s intercom, Steffy and Katie´s conversation is via their personal phones text messages, so they should look like they'd come through a cellphone with the senders(Steffy/Ridge) message to the right and the receivers(Katie/Thomas) to the left.**

 **As usual I do not own B &B, nor it's characters and I am still not happy with what's going on on the show.**

 **I'm done**

Chapter two

Ridge had called his father the moment he'd left his daughter´s office and sent a text to Caroline, Thomas, Maya and Sasha that he'd need to talk to them as soon as they could see him, preferably before tomorrow by lunchtime. Maya and Sasha answered straight away that they'd see him at the mansion whenever he could. Caroline and Thomas were already in his office when he walked through the door.

"Oh, good, you're already here. Dad is coming in a little bit and we'll all talk then about something that's come up during the last few days." Ridge announces.

Caroline and Thomas listen closely and then go back to the design they were having a problem with .

A little while later, twenty minutes or so, there's a knock on the door. Caroline answers the door.

"Hi Eric! How are you doing today?" Caroline gives him a smile.

"Well, I'm still kicked out of the company, by my own son none the less." Then he throws a glare Ridge´s way.

Thomas immediately comes to his fathers defense. "Well, had you just listened to all of us, Rick wouldn't have been able to do what he did and you'd still be in charge! There wouldn't have been any need for a take over."

"Anyway, what's this you'd needed to talk to me about?" Eric bites.

"I've spent about two hours in a meeting with Steffy and Quinn today where Steffy told me about some ideas she´s had for this company. Amongst other things a line honoring Phoebe, Aly, Darla and Macy and also bringing back the Intimates line. Which is what I need to talk to you about." Ridge explains.

"What's that got to do with me?" Eric sound totally uninterested.

"We were thinking that Caroline, me and you dad would be the ones designing the clothing line. We were thinking that Thomas would design for the new Intimates line with Maya and Sasha modeling it. In regards to the Memories line, Hope, Bridget, Katie and Taylor were thought of as the models representing the line. Steffy had this idea that the way you style a garment changes the look of it making it possible for a woman in her 20s as well as a woman in her 50s to wear the same piece of clothing, just with different accessories." Ridge explains.

As he's talking, he gets a message from his daughter.

 _ **Steffy:** Talking to Katie, she wondered if we could honor Storm in some way. Maybe we could let Thomas revive part of the Men´s line?_

 _Brooke has messed up again, apparently Bill is the greatest love Brooke´s ever had and she's still in love with him. Katie really needs this!_

Reading the message Ridge feels himself feeling sad for Katie, angry at Bill and pissed off at Brooke. Another ping alerts him to another message from Steffy.

 _ **Steffy:** Maybe we should let Thomas revive the entire men´s line? Caroline can deal with the Intimates line and you and granddad can focus on Memories? If any of you need help, talk to the others and ask for their help!_

He sends her back a text saying it's a good idea.

"Okay, so, change of plans. If everything goes the way we've planned, Thomas will be getting the Men´s line back, Caroline could do Intimates and Dad and I would design for Memories. But there are some people who needs to be contacted first so it's not a definite go yet in regards to Memories, but the Intimates line and the Men´s line will be taken back into production and the newly released lines will be released during the summer. Are you two okay with that?" Ridge looks up to find his wife, son and father having trouble talking. "Well?"

"Well, that means I've got five months to produce how many looks?" Caroline is the first to speak.

"You're giving me my line back?" Thomas is the second to speak.

"I'll do it!" Eric has become very happy during the time Ridge has spoken. "I've missed going to work and I've been so bored that I've been drawing at home, you want to see the designs?"

Another text from his daughter pings his phone.

 _ **Steffy:** Kimberly, CJ and Clark are here, they want to help as well! CJ and Clark are on for modeling the Men´s line, Kimberly is okay with modeling Memories. If you're okay with it?_

 _ **Ridge:** Why didn't we think of them before? How did they know about it?_

 _ **Steffy:** Bridget called them, it's a go then?_

 _ **Ridge:** Yes, tell them it's a go._

Ridge then turns to his company again

"I'm sorry for that, but Steffy just texted to say that CJ, Clark and Kimberly are in her office and wants to help us out. But, yes Caroline and unfortunately you're going to have to work with Maya and Sasha and it might not be that good for the pregnancy. Gotta talk to Steffy about that." Ridge gives his wife a sad smile. "We are bringing your line back Thomas, but it's a trial run, if it doesn't do well, we'll see what we do."

Ridge then turns to his father.

"I'd love to see them to see if they fit with the direction we want to take with Memories and if they don't, we'll put them into California Freedom. It'll be great to have Eric Forrester back on the design team." Ridge gives a huge proud smile as he's talking. "Oh, she also had an idea of bringing back the perfume and make up line as well as shoes and jewelry. She thought that maybe you could do the modeling for the make up line, Caroline? Steffy would take the jewelry and shoes herself and then when it came to the perfumes, we'd be designing special bottles and have them be the center piece in those ads. Steffy has put in so much thought into these ideas of hers and I really hope everything will work out. Now, I'm gonna talk to Maya and Sasha about them modeling the Intimates line. Steffy didn't want them modeling Memories, which I can understand, so they get Intimates instead."

"Where is Brooke in these plans? I mean, she was the model for Brooke´s bedroom which is where the idea of Intimates came from." Eric asks.

"Brooke has done some things lately that have made me and Steffy not want her involved, also, having her represent a line in honor of a woman who she drove into drinking and wanting Brooke dead really isn't a great idea. Also, all of the women modeling Memories has had Brooke interfere with their relationships and have ended up hurt because of her actions at one point or another."

Eric remembers a conversation he's had with Bridget where he told her that she couldn't compete with her mother when it came to men and how Bridget had lashed out at him saying that she shouldn't have to!

"Anyway, I got to go to the mansion to talk to Maya and Sasha now. I'll come back a little later. Do you want a lift back Dad or did you drive here yourself?" He's picked up some papers he'd need the Avant girls to sign as well as a couple of folders marked Intimates on the front.

"I took the car over but I sent it home so I'll accept the offer of a lift home." Eric and Ridge leaves the office.

I'm done!

Just after Kimberly and the Garrison´s left the office, Steffy felt like it had been a productive afternoon. Katie couldn't agree more.

"Can I just ask you something?" Steffy asks and Katie nods. "Why did you marry Bill again after what happened last time?"

"I felt like I needed to put Will´s family back together, but now I know it was the wrong choice. Bill and I will be better apart." Katie sighs.

"Do you need help with anything?" Steffy offers.

"Do you know a good lawyer? I'm thinking divorce is the only option." Tears starts falling down Katie´s face.

"You're going to need one that does not have any connections to Spencer Publications and I think I know just the one." Steffy picks up her phone and searches her contacts. "They helped me and Liam work out our first and second divorce." She writes the number on a piece of paper. "Ask to talk to Damon. He'll get you the best divorce settlement you can ever get! Let me know if you need anything else. I know a thing or two about trying to get over a Spencer man. I'm here for you!"

"Why? I mean, we don't really like each other that much." Katie asks.

"Because you've been hurt by Brooke Logan and we need to stick together. Just ask your nieces!" Steffy takes Katie´s hand and gives it a squeeze. "I'll find out what's going on in Bill´s head. I met with him a couple of hours ago, maybe it happened after that."

"Yeah, maybe. I just hope he has enough sense not to fall for her words of loving him. I wish she would've told me so that we could have worked it out and found somewhere else she could be. But she just had to tell him and I don't think she's only told him once." Katie tries to be brave, but how do you deal with your sister telling your husband that he's the love of her life.

"Are you going to be okay?" Steffy´s voice is full of concern.

"At the end of this I will. I just need some time to get my head around it." Katie then remembers something Steffy said. "What did you mean you know something about getting over a Spencer man? I thought you spent two years in Paris being so hung up on Liam you didn't even go out on a date."

"Well, first off, I got over Bill didn't I? In regards to me being hung up on Liam for two years while in Paris, that is true, but this time I'm done being his biggest supporter and never getting anything back. I'm tired of him putting everyone else before me and us, I know he stood by me last fall, but what about all the other times I needed him to put me first? And this was the last straw. He let Ivy kiss him and tell him she loves him and that she's only with Wyatt because she can't have Liam, but he doesn't tell Wyatt or me that she feels this way and then to top it off, after she tells him she's moving back to Australia, he tells her he loves her, what man is that stupid to give a woman hope when he has left said woman for another woman and asked her to marry him? Oh, right. Liam is. He's done it before, I shouldn't have been surprised."

Steffy sighs.

"He ended up on a plane to Australia, he said it was because he wanted Ivy comfortable because she'd just fallen down the stairs at Granddad´s house, so he bought her another seat so she didn't have to have someone sitting next to her. But there was no need what so ever for him to follow her to the airport, that's what granddad was for, but no and instead of just sending a simple text, he ignored me all the way onto the plane. Yeah, he hit his head and lost consciousness, but if I'd gotten a text during ANY of the hours it took them to get from the Forrester Mansion to the airport, I wouldn't have hung up on him when he called me. I know, you probably think I made a rash decision, but there's been so many situations during the past five years that I just can't do it anymore. I've invested so much of myself in this relationship and it was never enough for him. I felt so much of my old strength coming back after I finally said good bye to our relationship and I feel like I'm being the true me again. Strong business woman with a strong personality."

"Yeah, I got you. I felt the same way when Bill and I divorced, somehow I'm back to who I was before that again. Maybe the Spencer-men are what brings women down, not that the women are weak from the start." Katie starts smiling again like she's solved a big mystery. "Anyway, you'd let me know how your conversation with Bill goes? And if it's a go with Memories?"

"Most definitely so. It'll be a long day for me today, but I'll be in touch as soon as I can." Steffy get's up and gives her ex-stepmother in law a hug. "Stay away from anything Spencer and Logan except your son as long as you can! Try acting oblivious until you hear from me!"

Katie returned the hug and then nods. "Bye! Hope everything goes well with the new line!"

She then walks out the door. As she closes the door, Steffy sends off a text message to her ex-father in law that she needs to see him.

I'm done!

Ridge walks through the door of the Forrester Mansion without knocking the door, a right he's earned through the years of being the first born son of the heads of the family.

"Maya! Sasha! Are you here?" He shouts as he walks into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

When he comes back into the living room, Maya is walking down the stairs and Sasha is walking up the stairs from the pool.

"What's up?" Sasha is trying to dry her hair as she's talking.

"We are bringing the Intimates line back and thought that maybe you could model it for us. Both of you." Ridge has his hand closely around the glass because the portrait of Maya is making him livid.

"I'll do it!" Sasha says instantly. "Is Zende going to be the photographer?"

"No, we're using him as a model for the Men´s line so he'll be busy. Steffy is currently trying to find out if one of our previous photographers are available." Ridge goes to collect the papers he had with him as well as the folder of Steffy´s photo shoot for the line as well as the photos from Brooke´s attempt a few years ago when she was married to Nick. "If you decide to do this, look at the photos in this folder to see what we're looking for and then if you still want to do it, sign this paper to get the pay check as well as give us total ownership of the pictures taken. What that means is that you cannot use the photos in your portfolio. The photographer will get the same paper to sign."

"Oh, Maya. We want to use the Mansion as the venue of a party for people in the industry in two weeks or so to announce the reboot of Intimates and the Men´s line as well as a new line we're working on and I, and most likely most everyone else, would appreciate it if you would put mom´s portrait back up for the occasion!" Ridge explains. "If your husband has a fit about it, remind him that it's one night only! When the last guest leaves, he can put up that hideous portrait of you back up, but moms portrait deserves to be there!"

Ridge turns to leave and as he places his hand on the doorknob.

"I'll put it there myself! I don't actually like that portrait myself." Maya nods her head and then she walks up the stairs again to continue with decorating the nursery.

Sasha takes the folder with her to the pool and looks at the photos. She's admiring the photos of Steffy when Rick walks up behind her.

"Hey, what's that?" Sasha get´s startled.

"Ridge was here an hour or so ago and dropped this off. He's bringing the Intimates line back and wanted Maya and I to model it, so he brought this folder to give us a hint of what they want as far as photos goes and a paper we need to sign to give Forrester Creations the full rights to the photos we take." Sasha explains.

Rick just walks away muttering about how Ridge once again has taken a decision about the company without talking to him about it.

I'm done!

Bill strolls into Steffy´s office with a smile on his face.

"So, have you decided that you want to send Liam to New York anyway?" What he sees makes the smile vanish. "I guess not. What's going on?"

"If I said that I've heard from a very reliable source that a certain Brooke Logan has placed her hands on you and told you that you are the greatest love of her life and then kissed you, would you say that it's true?" Steffy has gotten her spunk back and right now she's on a 'defend the women hurt by Brooke'-spree.

"Well," Bill clears his throat. "I'd try to lie and say it didn't happen, but you know both Brooke and I well enough that you'd see right through it." Bill sits down on the chair in front of Steffy´s desk with a sigh of defeat.

"What did you do about it? Kiss her back? Turn her away? Tell her you love your wife?" Steffy glares at him.

Bill looks so guilty there's no question what the answer was going to be.

"What happened to you? When you came here the first time, you were so anti Brooke and Donna and so in love with Katie that nothing could tear you apart! Then you get a little taste of the golden groin and everything's ripped to shred? Don't you think that Katie´s been through enough?" The frustration evident in her voice.

"I don't know what happened. I remember sitting at a restaurant on a double date with Ridge and Brooke and all of a sudden I'm having a fantasy about Brooke. Something just snapped."

"Do you want Brooke or Katie? Do not lie to me because if you hurt Katie again I will help her in every way I can." Steffy threatens.

"I know that I want the family I have with Katie, I just don't know if I want Katie. But the kiss Brooke and I shared made me clear on the fact that I do not want Brooke." The truth leaves Bill´s mouth for one of the first times in his entire adult life.

"Do you think that you and Katie would be better off apart?"

"Some times I do think that, but there are other times where I just can't see myself without her." Bill sighs.

"Maybe what you two need is a trial separation. Do the whole We're divorced- thing with shared custody and all that without actually making it legal?" Steffy offers as a solution. "What ever you decide to do, you need to talk to Katie about it and decide together. If a divorce is what you decide on, make sure that you treat her well in it and make sure that Will doesn't get hurt because you two are arguing about it."

"Yeah, I really need to talk to my wife don't I?"

"You do." Steffy reaffirmed the sentence. "You need to go do that right now."

Bill get's up and leaves Steffy´s office.

 **Steffy** : _He's coming to talk to you and you need to listen to him._

 **Katie** : _Okay, what did he say?_

 **Steffy** : _Just listen to him, everything will be just fine!_

 _It'll go the way it's supposed to._

 **Katie** : _Are you sure?_

 **Steffy** : _Yes, just listen to what he's got to say and you'll be fine and it'll end up the way it's supposed to._

 **Katie** : _I'm worried._

 **Steffy** : _There's no need to be._

 _The two of you need to talk and if you need someone after, call me and we'll do something fun!_

 **Katie** : _You're right. I'll let you know what happens._

 **Steffy** : _If you need it, you have the number, if you don't need it, you still have the number._

 _Just know that it'll work out the best way it can._

 **Katie** : _I guess you're right about that._

 **Steffy** : _Of course I am._

 _I'm here if you need me!_

 **Katie** : _I'll let you know!_

I'm done!

About 4 hours later Steffy sends a text message to Hope asking if she was available to talk and if she wasn't could she call her when she can. Hope replies by calling Steffy herself.

"Hello! What is going on?"

"Hi! What's going on is that I have a proposition that I want you to think about." Steffy starts explaining everything and Hope asks some questions here and there.

"Sounds like a good idea, but I don't know if I want to leave Milan just yet. I'd do it, but I'm not entirely sure I want to come back right now." Hope sounds unsure as she's speaking.

"Well, you don't have to return right now. Memories won't be launching until this fall or next spring. It all depends on the models, the line is practically already approved, we're just waiting for you, Bridget and Mom to say yes, Katie and Kimberly has already said that they'd do it." Steffy waits with baited breath.

"Yeah, I'll do it. But what about mom? Why isn't she modeling Memories?" Hope is somewhat confused.

"Well, you've dealt with her, why do you think we don't want her honoring the memories of Macy?" Steffy asks leading Hope to remember Brooke sleeping with Oliver during her graduation party. "You know Macy fought with Deacon for joint custody of you and your half brother Deacon Jr.?"

"No, I didn't know that." Hope sighs. "I guess you're right not having mom be a part of this. But why do you want me to do it? Why not do it yourself?"

"Because I think you need this to come back to the world, and contrary to popular belief, I've never had a true problem with you, you were just acting like your mother wanted you to. I know that you're better then that. I also know that you know that you're better then that." Steffy says very sure of herself.

"Yeah, you're right about that. I shouldn't have come on so strong after you lost the baby. I was just so sure that had you not been pregnant, he would've chosen me. But you're with him now so I guess that wasn't true."

"No, I'm not. I've broken up with him because the love he has for me isn't the same as the love I have for him and that's not enough for me. Not anymore." Steffy can hear the gasp on the other end.

"I'm sorry what? You've dumped Liam Spencer? After everything we've been through?" Hope flashes back to the gondola and watching Steffy and Liam get married.

"Yeah, I did. I'm tired of fighting for a love that is not for him what it is for me. I am tired of always fighting for us and he just letting everything go. He should have just kept the annulment papers when I signed them the first time in Aspen after you ran me over on the slopes. You two could have been married by now if he had." Steffy realizes a little to late what she just said and gasps.

"I'm sorry what did you just say? You actually signed the first set of annulment papers? What happened to them?" The disappointment evident in her voice.

"I signed them because I didn't want anyone else to get hurt, handed them to him and he ripped them up and tossed them in the creek then he picked me up and kissed me. Then we waited for the divorce to become final and when it did, we were waiting together and when the clock struck, he kissed me and then we let go." Steffy explains. "Or at least I did. I don't know what Liam did."

Steffy can hear the tears in Hope´s voice when she speaks next.

"I guess I never realized just how deep his feelings for you ran, I always thought that there was no way you could love two women so vastly different." Steffy chuckles.

"Oh, did you not grow up in the same triangle that I did? The Brooke-Ridge-Taylor-with Thorne and Nick on the side-triangle didn't bother you at all?"

The bond that formed between them when Hope first moved to Milan and Steffy was still in Paris grew even more during the conversation that followed for the next hour.

"Now, did I understand it correctly that you would do it? I just need confirmation. You don't even have to leave Milan if you don't want to for the photo shoots, we can send Oliver or Zende over there with the clothes and have them take the pictures, we just need to have you here for the launch and runway show." Steffy returns to her business voice.

"Yes! I'd do it gladly!" Hope says sternly. "I gotta go now. Take care!"

"Yeah, I gotta go too, have a phone call to make to Paris. I'll let you know what happens next!" Steffy says bye once again and then hangs up.

As she's pulling her phone out to check if anything has happened, she sees a text from Katie.

 **Katie:** _Thank you so much! It was a hard conversation to have, but we're going to give a trial separation a try, we'll see what happens after that. Knowing that he wouldn't leave me for Brooke again is a huge relief!_

 **Steffy:** _See, it wasn't that scary right?_

 **Katie:** _No, it wasn't. As I said, Thank you so much for talking to him and all that!_

 **Steffy:** _You're welcome!_

 _Just talked to Hope, she's in! Phoning my mother in a little bit_.

 **Katie:** _That's great! It's moving along just fine!_

 **Steffy:** _Sure is! I'll let you know what mom says!_

I'm done!

Before Ridge had even gotten back to Forrester Creations, he had a text from both Maya and Sasha.

 **Maya:** I'll do it!

 **Sasha:** I'll do it!

 **Ridge(sent to both):** Great! Drop the papers off tomorrow!

He walks through the door of his office and sees a pile of design sheets on the table. On them, there are suit after suit after suit, shirts, t-shirts, underwear, pants, dress shirts, shorts, dress pants, jumpers and pull overs.

"Well, I guess Thomas has been working on these on his free time." Ridge sends a text to Thomas.

 **Ridge:** These are great! How long have you been working on them?

 **Thomas:** Since you canceled the Men´s line the first time.

 **Ridge:** But that was years ago, why haven't you shown me these before?

 **Thomas:** Well, you canceled the line remember?

 **Ridge:** Yeah, right. Well, it seems the Men´s line is already done,

do you think you could take over Intimates?

I really don't think Caroline needs the extra stress of working with Maya right now.

 **Thomas:** Sure. Wait a little.

 **Ridge:** Ooh okay. Why?

 **Thomas:** You'll see.

Five minutes later, Thomas walks through the door of his fathers office with another stack of design sheets.

He goes up to his fathers desk and puts the pile down on it. What Ridge sees on the top one is a beautiful purple with black lace bra and pantie set and after that follows piece after piece after piece.

"When have you had the time to do all these?" Ridge wonders out loud not remembering that Thomas is still there.

"Well, I spent time in Paris if you remember. There's not much to do there except chase girls and design." Thomas explains.

"Right." Ridge looks disoriented when he looks up at his son. "I'll need to talk to Steffy about this and then I'll get back to you!"

"I figured! Thank you for the opportunity!" Thomas then walked out of the office. Ridge picks up both piles and walks to his daughters office.

I'm done!

"Yes mom!" Steffy looks up as her father knocks on her door and peeks his head through the open door. "Exactly!"

"Uh, yes. Thank you so much! Good bye!" Ridge has sat down in the chair in front of Steffy´s desk with the two stacks of designs on his lap.

"Hi dad! Mom is in, Hope is in and Bridget needs to do some planning and talk to a few people, but she seems to be in as well. So now we've got all five of the models for Memories, CJ, Clark and Thorne are doing the modeling for the Men´s line. Do you think we should ask Marcus and Carter too?" Steffy looks so proud, the she sees the stacks of design sheets. "What you got there?"

Ridge hands the stacks over and Steffy looks through them.

"Oh, Thomas finally showed you these then?" Steffy looks up like it was nothing much.

"You knew about these?" Ridge is surprised.

"Yeah, I walked in on him a few times both in Paris and back here in LA." Steffy shrugs her shoulders.

"Oh. Right. Well, when I came back from the Mansion, I found the Men´s line stack on my desk, then me and Thomas had a conversation via texts and he came by with the lingerie designs after that. I asked him if he could take over Intimates from Caroline since the Men´s line was already done and Caroline doesn't need the stress of working with Maya and I say we put all these designs into production!" Ridge gestures as he talks.

"I agree. There's no need to put Caroline under that kind of stress right now. She's almost due and we already have enough designs for the whole line. I was thinking we bring back the old designs as well." Steffy suggests.

"Yes, I agree to that!" Ridge nods his head. "Do we need to re shoot those?"

Steffy shakes her head. "No, people already know what they look like. Now, I gotta call Bridget again and let her know what's happened."

I'm done!

Two hours later, Steffy has made all the phone calls she needed and Memories was on it's way. So, considering the day a job well done, she decides to take the next morning of and get her hair and nails done.

When she's about to leave Forrester Creations, she hears Rick yelling at her father out of the door from her dads office.

"Who the he** do you think you are? Aren't you supposed to talk to the president of Forrester International before you decide stuff on behalf of the company? You're not even a Forrester! Nothing but a Marone bastard!" Rick sounds furious. "Do you really think you can just decide things without talking to the people who it will affect the most?"

Feeling her patience drying out with her youngest uncle and former fiance, Steffy decides that this is the perfect time.

"And how does starting up the Men´s line and Intimates again affect you? I mean, it'll bring in money since your wife will be working again and it'll strengthen the company´s image in the eyes of the people who buy our designs!" Steffy peaks her head through the door.

"You just can't help yourself can you? You shoot a gun into an occupied office and expects there to be no repercussions, then you bully every employe you have and then after that you cheat granddad out of his own company and you don't even own even a single little percent of the company? Who do you think you are?"

Steffy slams the door closed when she's walked through it to make her presence known.

"You are not the first born son of either of the founders of this company, do you really believe that the little Junior after your full name makes you this big hot shot CEO-material? You know you actually have to earn that position! Dad has worked his entire life to take over this company and has years worth of experience over you. Oh and just so you know, the 'Marone' side of the family owns half of this company and your side keeps loosing it to other people!"

Steffy quotes the Marone part

"Oh and no, dad does not have **any** obligation to ask the President of a daughter company his input in a matter of the mother company, you on the other hand **have** to talk to dad when there's an issue with Forrester International. A position you have because your wife blackmailed dad for even though she actually quit all on her own. Get over your self, you're not that important to this company and you'd really do well to remember just who is the reason we have the company back in Forrester hands after Granddad lost it when Bill Spencer snatched it from under our noses!" Steffy finally gets to unleash some of the anger she's been harboring since Rick stole the CEO-position from Eric over a year ago.

Rick just smirks.

"And who is that?"

"Well, you're looking right at her, Rick!" Ridge answers the question. "And I really need to remember that myself."

Rick´s smirk falls.

"Oh." He then scurries out of the room, but before he leaves, Ridge calls out to him.

"Hey Rick! I've already talked to Maya about this and it is a go, but we'll be using the mansion as the venue for a party in two weeks or so and we want to put mom´s portrait up on the fire place for the occasion. It's already a done deal, Maya said she'd put it up herself if she had to." Ridge speaks with confidence.

"What gives you the right to decide that behind my back?" Rick´s anger flares up again.

"Well, Ricky boy, that's my fathers childhood home, **you** do **not** own it and the only reason **you** live there is because Granddad allowed you to stay there after you sneaked your way in there without even talking to him about it." Steffy points out. "You just walked in there, put all of Granddad´s stuff in boxes in the guesthouse, took down Grandma´s portrait and put Maya´s there, which really isn't a great representation of Maya anyway."

Every word Steffy speaks has the desired effect and Rick storms off.

"Well, I guess someone still can't take the truth." Steffy turns to talk to her father again. "Anyway, I was thinking about something, I realized that we haven't even thought about if aunt Kristen or aunt Felicia wants to be a part of this. Maybe Deacon would like to be a part of it too? I mean, he was married to Macy at one point right? Maybe DJ would like to be a part of it too? Isn't he a little older then Thomas and I?"

"Well, we could always ask them." Ridge considers the thought.

"Didn't you say that Tony and Kristen used to be interested in photography and that's why Zende has taken an interest in it as well? Couldn't Tony take care of the photo shoots? Aunt Kristen could help him when his energy isn't all there."

"Well, that could work. Let me call them and we'll see." Ridge picks the phone up. As he's talking Steffy walks back to her office to grab a stack of design sheets she needed to talk to her father about.

Twenty five minutes later he hangs up.

"We've got our photographers, but they'll be sharing the responsibility, Kristen will be shooting the Intimates line and parts of the female part of Memories as well as the Men´s line. Tony will deal with the other half of Memories, including the jewelry, make up and perfumes." Ridge shares with his daughter.

"Great, that's settled then. All we need now is the designs for Memories." Steffy settles. "Have we decided which designs should be the designs specifically made for Memories when it comes to the Men´s line?"

Ridge nods his head and hands over six design sheets with a variety of designs, suits, shirts, shorts, an entire wardrobes worth of designs if one wishes to see it like that.

"I think we should have the designs made in different colors and patterns to add to that part of the line."

Steffy nods her head to this.

"I sent Thomas over to the mansion to look for videos of Darla in Aly´s room and he found these." Steffy hands over a stack of design sheets herself to her father.

There are at the very least twenty five different pairs of shoes on them and they´re beautiful, every single pair of them.

"Do you think that Rick has seen these?" Ridge asks.

"Look at the back of them." Steffy points out and Ridge turns them over to look at the back.

On every single one of them there's a date and a note saying that Rick said that he'd look in to it and the dates spanned over three months and on the last one it says;

 _December 15th._

 _Showed Rick, he asked that I massage Maya´s feet and he'd look into it._

"I can't believe this. We need to show these to Dad." Ridge exclaims.

"There was no chance that Aly would get her shoe line with Rick at the helm. She did everything he asked of her and he had no plans on letting her have it. That's why we need to do this." Steffy feels her rage start to build up.

Ridge nods his head.

 **AN:**

 **Now, this chapter is getting way to long and I don't know where I can break it up to start the next chapter, so I want to say sorry for the long chapter, but it just got away from me and starting the next one off with Rick screaming his head off at Ridge just didn't sound like a good idea.**

 **Please leave me a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:**

 **I do not own anything that has to do with B &B or it's characters! Those are all Bradley Bell´s even though he's totally messing the show up right now.**

 **DJ was born long before Hope, Steffy and Thomas, so the fact that he's still at boarding school is baffling to me because he should be in his early 30ies. SORASing sucks! So in this story, he is SORASED to match Steffy, Thomas and Hope.**

 **I'm done!**

Chapter three

The next day has Ridge sitting in his office with the designs that Aly had designed in a stack on his desk. There's a knock on the door and Eric peaks his head through the door.

"Hi Ridge! You needed to talk to me about something?"

"Hi dad! Yes, I did. Come sit down." Ridge waves his hand at the chair in front of his desk. Eric takes a seat in it.

"Well, what's this about?"

"It's about your youngest son and the way he treated your granddaughter and the way that you allowed him to do so." Ridge picks up Aly´s designs. "Take a look at these."

Eric flips through the designs and as he does so, there's a sense of pride that flows through him.

"These are great, who made these?" Eric is confused.

"Aly did." Ridge points out.

"Well, why haven't we started producing them? Why isn't there a line already?" The stern look Eric is sending Ridge does not affect Ridge in any way.

"Well, I hadn't seen them before last night so I couldn't have put them in production." Ridge points to the designs. "Look at the back of them."

Eric turns them over and reads everything written on the back and he feels his heart sink.

"And that is only some of the things Rick felt he had the right to put Aly through because he was the CEO to 'give' her the shoe line. Rick saw these months before the take over even happened." Ridge air quotes the word give to make his father see the point he's making. "Do you get it why we had to throw him out? Why we needed to take over? You were allowing this to happen even though you were supposed to take care of Aly, instead you just left her here and when she approached you with this, you just shrugged it off as Aly being too sensitive. So what if she was to sensitive, shouldn't you have made Rick stop bullying her when she first brought it up? Your son was abusing your mentally ill granddaughter and you just stood by and watched him do it. We couldn't stand for it anymore and in the end, Aly still died."

Something clicks in Eric´s brain and he storms off leaving the stack of designs he had brought with him behind. Ridge walks around the desk and picks them up.

 **Ridge:** _Just talked to dad, he's hurt deeply by what was written on Aly´s designs as well as some things I said. He left behind some designs for me to look at. Do you want to see them?_

 **Steffy:** _Well, he did just stand by and watch as Aly descended into her darkness and didn't do anything about it._

 _Yeah, I do want to see them. You want me to come over? I'm at the hairdresser at the moment. I'll swing by in an hour or so._

 **Ridge:** _See you in a little bit then._

I'm done!

Exactly fifty five minutes after sending her last text to her dad, Steffy walks through the door of his office. Ridge looks up and has to do a double take to recognize his daughter.

"Well, that's a change. I didn't recognize you the first time I looked!" Ridge chuckles.

"Do you like it? I wasn't entirely sure about it, but I feel good in it." Steffy flicks her hair with her fingers as she's talking. "It was time for a change and what better time to do it then after a break up?"

"I do like it. You look just like your mother when I first met her." Ridge smiles.

Steffy had gotten rid of the highlights she'd had in her hair the last year or so and darkened it quite a bit. It would be the perfect setting for the jewelry that Quinn was designing.

"Let me see those designs then." Steffy reaches out for the designs and then walks over to the couch to look them over. "Did you say Granddad did these?"

Ridge nods his head.

"Well we can't use any of them in Memories, I thought we moved out of the eighties what? Twenty six years ago? Can we even use them in California Freedom?" Steffy is surprised.

"Well, I think he was probably looking back at a happier time in his life while designing those and apparently the eighties were the best times of his life." Ridge suggests. "But yeah, we can't use any of them. Did you talk to Deacon yet?"

"I have, he and DJ are on board, DJ actually wants to move out here, Amber has done something again, I don't know what, but DJ seems adamant that he come out here. I mean, he's what? Thirty years old, shouldn't he be able to decide without his mother being a factor?"

"Yeah, he should, he is old enough." Ridge concludes.

"Anyway. I talked to Quinn late last night and gave her the okay to start with Memories, we sent the boxes over this morning. She's already done with Couture so she's got the time. I asked if she could do some cuff links and tie pins for the Men´s line that we're not going to be use in Memories and she's working on those at the moment. Maybe we can modify Granddad´s design to fit into California Freedom somehow?" Steffy informs her dad.

There's a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

"Uhm, hi! The woman at the desk said I could just knock on the door!" There's a man standing at the door with his head peaking through the opening.

"Yeah, come right in and who might you be?" Then Ridge notices the eyes, it's been over twenty five years since he'd seen them last. "Well well, if it isn't little D all grown up! You sure got here fast! How are you?"

"Hi!" DJ is really confused. "Well, someone called my dad and said you wondered if we'd like to help out with a new line and we said yes instantly because it would be for Macy, I've never seen my dad as happy as he was when he was married to her."

Steffy reaches her hand out and he takes it, the hand shake is very firm and professional.

"Yes, my daughter called Deacon before her appointments this morning and I thought it would take you a little while to get here, at least a little longer then it did." Ridge explains slightly confused.

"Well, I was already in California when dad called so I wasn't still in Wisconsin, I've been on the road for a few days now. I still have the trailer with my stuff hocked on the back of my car." He shrugs his shoulders. "Anyway, I'm down for the modeling bit, but I was wondering if you'd like to have some help in the design aspect as well?"

"We've got some designs that we're thinking about changing a bit, you can take those and rework them and that way we'll know what your made of and it can be like an audition or something." The suggestion comes from Steffy. "Can you come back on Monday next week so we can see them?"

"Sure, I guess. I can do that." DJ accepts the offer and Steffy goes to collect them and hands them to him. "What on earth is this? You want me to rework **these**?"

Steffy nods her head.

"Okay, I'll be back on Monday. See you then!" Then he walks out the door.

"Well, that's a challenge if I ever saw one." Steffy nods her head.

"Yeah, maybe Granddad would be better put on designing for Couture instead of Memories? I mean, if he does well, I'd rather have him then Granddad design for Memories if that's what he comes up with. It would mean Granddad still designs for Forrester, but we'd have some good talent designing for Memories." Steffy looks to her father.

"Yeah."

I'm done!

A few hours later, Steffy´s cell phone starts ringing.

"Hello!"

"Hi! I didn't know if you were at the office or not, so I called your cellphone!" Bridget sounds stressed when she's talking. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I've talked to my partners as well as Jackie, Owen and Nick and my partners were wondering if maybe I'd like to start up a practice in LA, because I know the area and have more family there, when I mentioned the idea to Nick, Owen and Jackie they were on board instantly and they are currently trying to find some where to live preferably somewhere close together. We're moving back to LA all six of us!"

"Oh my goodness, are you serious?" Steffy is instantly happy.

"Yes, I am. They've already found the place for the new practice so it's a done deal, the only thing we need is somewhere to live." You can here that Bridget is outside walking as she's talking.

"Well, we've never sold Nick´s old house that he gave to mom, so there's that, and we still have Nick´s boat at the marina. I also seem to remember that there's a condo that your brother has that he bought from me that he hasn't sold off yet, so if Jackie and Owen wants their apartment back they just gotta talk to your brother and you can move into moms house with Logan and Nick can either stay there with you guys or move into the boat until he finds a better place to live for him and Jack." Steffy offered. "Does Brooke or Granddad know you're coming back?"

"No, mom doesn't know and until I've got everything all done up, I don't want her to know. I haven't told dad either." There's sadness in Bridget´s voice.

"Yeah. Hey, if Hope were to come back, she could live with you and Logan right?" Steffy wonders.

"Of course, why not." Bridget laughs a little. "Maybe we could make it Memories models HQ? All of us could live there. Me, Hope, Kimberly, aunt Katie and your mother. Maybe it'd be fun."

"Well, I know mom would probably want to live there for the time we need her and Katie might be on the look out for a new house to live in." Steffy agrees. "Kimberly I think already has a place to live at. Anyway, when are we to expect you to arrive?"

"Well, it should be in a few weeks, We're packing up the apartments as we speak, I've already enrolled Logan at the school you and your siblings went to and the contract on the practice has already been signed."

"I'm gonna talk to mom or maybe you want to do that?"

"No, you can do that. Ask her if she wants me to pay rent or something for living in her house. Anyway, I gotta go now! I'll see you in a few weeks. Bye!" Steffy says her good byes and then hangs up the phone.

She looks at the clock and finds it's to early to call her mother now so she sends her an email instead. She gets a reply almost instantly so she picks up the phone to call Bridget again.

"Hello!"

"Hi Bridget! It's Steffy! I sent mom an email and she said that you could rent it if you want to, but you don't need to. However, if you do decide to rent it, it'll only cost you 300$ a month not including utilities to do so since she's not really needing the house for anything. I was right though in assuming that she'd want to stay there while we do the promotions for Memories. I've also sent a text to Maya for her to talk to Rick, we're not on a friendly basis right now due to a confrontation and I got a reply just now saying that he'd sell the apartment to who ever wants it, he's got no need for it now that he's living in the Forrester Mansion!" Anger is present in Steffy´s voice at the end of the monologue.

"I take it you're not happy about that?"

"No, I'm not. Do you know how he moved in there?" Steffy asks.

"Sure. I mean, I've heard his version, but yours might make more sense."

"When Granddad left to go on that cruise with his brother, Rick took moving boxes and put all of Granddads stuff and moved it into the guesthouse under the explanation that they were redecorating the place they were living at and then they took everything they owned and moved themselves into Granddad and Grandmas house and when Granddad came back, he let them stay there and the worst thing is that they took down Grandmas portrait and put a hideous portrait of Maya there instead. They didn't even ask if they could do it. Rick just thought that since he was CEO, he should live in the Forrester Mansion."

"Yeah, that's not the story my brother told me. I get why you're so angry." Bridget nodded her head.

"Anyway, I'll let you get back to moving. I'll see you in a few weeks then! Bye!" Steffy starts looking at some papers as they hang up the phone.

I'm done!

That night Steffy walks through the door of the Forrester Mansion and looks up at the mantle and what she sees makes her smile. There, front and center, is her grandmothers portrait. Stephanie Forrester in her rightful place once again. Then she hears someone walking down the stairs so she turns around to see who it is.

"Well, well, if it isn't Caroline Spencer-Forrester herself! Where has Rick and Maya gone? Where's her portrait?" Steffy is floored.

"Sure am! Well, Rick made a big fuzz about how Ridge wanted to use his 'home' for a party that Ridge actually ran by him and he said that as long as the portrait of Maya is not above that fire place, Rick would not set foot here again. So Ridge asked Eric to call everyone else in the family and ask if they'd rather have Maya or Stephanie´s portrait up there. Everyone else said that Stephanie´s portrait deserved to be up there, even Brooke said so. So Stephanie´s portrait stays and Rick doesn't set foot here anymore. When he left Rick blurted out that 'That Marone bastard wins again' and I'm like, well, you cheated your way into the house so you get what you give. I don't get why I wanted to be married to him in the first place!" Caroline chuckles. "Then Ridge asked Eric if he wanted to move back in and when Eric said he was perfectly fine out in the guesthouse and asked if Ridge and I wanted to move in, Ridge said that we'd love to, so here we are!"

"Well, I really like you a whole lot better than my previous house mates so I'm happy! How's baby?" The smile on Steffy´s face is even bigger then when she found out Bridget was moving back.

"Baby is doing fine! He's growing like he should!" Steffy´s mouth drops.

"It's a boy? I mean, I'd be happy with what ever, but a boy would be so much easier for dad to handle since he's not as young as he was when he had us to run around after. You know what I mean!" Caroline just nods her head to this.

I'm done!

The next day saw Steffy meeting Bill on her way to the office.

"Hi Steffy! I've got something I want to talk to you about! Can we do it privately?" Bill seems chased in some way.

"Hi Bill! Sure." So Steffy unlocks her office door and when they've both entered, she locks the door from the inside.

"Yeah, so I've decided that I want to sell my shares in Forrester Creations and before it comes out, I was wondering if you'd want them. I know what you wanted when REST was drawn up and I feel like it's a good idea, not that I have anything against Katie, but this company needs to be in Forrester hands and more specifically, Forrester Marone hands. Your hands preferably." Bill whispers because he doesn't want anyone to find out. "I've already discussed this with Justin and he says that it shouldn't be a problem. It would also make sure that you and Thomas will have the most shares in the company when Eric decides to split his up."

"Yeah, but are you sure you want to do this?" Steffy wants to make sure and when Bill nods, she asks him how much he wants for them. What he asks for is way way way less then what he payed for them.

"I need to talk to dad about this, but I've got the money you want for them." Steffy claims. "Draw up the papers and my lawyer will take a look at them."

Bill nods his head, goes to unlock the door and walk out of Steffy´s office.

I'm done!

It's been two days since Steffy´s last meeting with Bill when an envelope was dropped off on her desk.

"Hey Pam! Can you call my lawyer and tell him to come over here, I have something I need him to take a look at before I sign it."

"Will do, Steffy! I'm on it."

As she waits she looks over the contract and sees that Bill has already signed the papers. She also looks over some other papers that needed to be taken care of in regards to company business.

About forty five minutes later, there's a knock on her door and her lawyer peeks his head through the door.

"Hi Damon! Lock the door and take a look at these and tell me that there is no way this can come back and bite me in the behind at any time in the future?" Steffy hands over the papers.

Damon takes them and sits down in the chair in front of the desk.

"I don't see anything that would not be good for you, can I ask you why this is happening?"

Steffy sighs.

"I'm not really sure, but I think he's just done. He and his wife are on the brink of divorce and I don't think he wants to have any contact with us anymore then necessary. I don't know. But it gives us control of this company."

"It sure does." Damon is pleased.

I'm done!

The next day, after seeing that the money from the check has been drawn from her account, Steffy calls a meeting.

Rick, Maya, Thomas, Ridge, Eric, Bill and Brooke are present.

"Hi! I know you are probably wondering why I called this meeting and I want to thank Bill for the occasion. As of this morning, I own 37.5% of this company and in time, I will give Thomas the 12.5% that he's owed by me, but as it stands right now, this company is at to big of a risk what with the new releases and upcoming projects that I don't want to give you something that isn't strong, so if you'd be patient dear big brother, you will get your shares in due time." Steffy stands proud by her desk.

"Wait, where did you get those last 12,5% from?" Rick is furious.

"I bought them from Bill this morning!" Steffy shrugs her shoulders. Then a wall of noise breaks out.

"Why didn't you sell them to me?" Both Rick and Brooke ask.

"Well, simply because I don't actually like the two of you that much." Bill shocks Brooke to the core.

"But I thought you love me!" Both of Brooke´s eyes starts tearing up. "That's what you told me a few days ago."

"No, Brooke, what I said was I loved you, in past tense, I don't love you now!" Bill looks sternly straight into Brooke´s eyes to drive the point home. "Now, I'm going to go back to Spencer Publications and do some work."

Bill walks out the door and leaves a few shocked people behind.

"You can all leave now. Thomas, I need to talk to you for a moment." Steffy dismisses everyone.

The only ones to stay behind are Ridge and Thomas.

"You really don't need to explain to me why you're doing this, I know you will give me my shares when the time is right!" Thomas gets up from the chair he's been sitting on during the meeting and walks up to his sister and gives her a hug. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did when mom first gave you those shares, because I knew she made the right decision, she really had no idea what she'd do in the fashion industry and after the way dad treated you back then you deserved to get those shares. Just make sure that when you give me mine, they are worth a whole lot more then when you got them!"

Steffy hugs him back.

"I'll do my best! I love you!" Steffy sends a smile her brothers way.

"I love you too!" Thomas gives his sister another hug before he walks out the door.

As he closes the door, Ridge bursts out laughing.

"Did you see Rick and Brooke´s faces? Priceless!" Ridge gets up to give his daughter a hug as he can see she's shaking.

"Well, it's a good thing they left because I was so nervous and scared. I knew both Brooke and Rick wouldn't be happy about this turn of events, but we are in total control of Forrester Creations and nothing will bring us down now!" Steffy lets go of her nerves. "Oh, did you know that Bridget is coming back? Nick,Jack, Jackie, Owen and Logan will come with her. She's opening up a practice over here. Her partners in New York had been talking about opening a practice in LA and she jumped at the chance. All they needed were somewhere to live. So I offered Nick´s old house that mom has and the Shady Marlin, I also asked Maya if she could ask Rick if he would sell the condo and he will sell it, so Jackie and Owen will get their flat back. Bridget decided to pay rent for the house and mom will live there with them when it's time to promote Memories. Bridget also does not want Brooke or Granddad to find out she's coming so if we could keep that under wraps for a few weeks that would be good."

"That will be good for all of them to come back to LA. I'm assuming we're the only ones who knows other then your mother?" Steffy nods her head. "Well, it'll be doable then. I don't see a reason why we wouldn't be able to keep it under wraps for a while."

"Now all we need is for Mom, Thorne and Hope to come back as well as Rick and Maya to leave, but that can wait until after the Intimates photo shoot." Steffy smiles. "Have you seen the samples of the first design for that line by the way? It's gorgeous."

Steffy walks over to the couch and pulls out a neglige from a garment bag in a dark purple color with a darker purple lace flowing over it.

"You're right, it is gorgeous." Ridge nods his head.

"I want Sasha to come in and try it out if that's okay with you!" Steffy looks up from behind the glasses that she'd started to wear lately.

"Yeah, that's fine! Go a head. Have you heard from DJ yet?"

"Yeah, I did, he came by late afternoon yesterday and showed me some of the designs, they're really good. He took them with him, just wanted a little feed back." Steffy smiles.

"Well, well, there's that smile I've missed. What brought that on?" Steffy blushes.

"He asked me out on a date. I told him I have just gotten out of a relationship and that I'm not ready and he said it could be just a movie among friends, told me to bring a few friends if I wanted a security blanket of some sort. So I thought about bringing Thomas, Wyatt, Kimberly and Katie. Maybe CJ too." Steffy starts fiddling with her hair.

"Well, I think it's a good idea. You should do it. It's time to experience what life is like without Liam." Ridge encourages his daughter.

"Yeah, maybe. I don't know, there's so much that needs to be done with the company right now that I don't know if I can." Steffy is reluctant to give in.

"Well then, you leave me no choice." Ridge sounds stern, but he has a slight gleam in his eyes alerting her to him having something up his sleeve. "I here by send you off on a date with a handsome dark haired strangerish man and you are not to come back to work until you have." He puts air quotes around the word stranger because technically, even though they haven't seen him in a few years, he is actually well known within the family.

"But it's only been five days dad, that's to soon." Steffy stands her ground.

"You are the one who ended it Steffy and you said that you felt stronger the moment you let the relationship go, now it's time you move forward with your life and if DJ can help you with that, I don't see a problem with it."

"But you hate his father, why would you want me with him then?" Steffy is still not convinced.

"Because he's not his father and I've seen the change in Deacon, he's not who he used to be." Ridge moves over to the desk again and holds his daughters hands in his.

"So you wouldn't mind if I ended up being married to a Sharpe? Steffy Forrester Sharpe?"

"No, but I didn't tell you to marry him did I? Just go out on a date with him and see what life gives you!" Ridge gives her hands one more squeeze and then he walks towards the door. "Just call him! I love you!"

"Okay, I will! Love you too!" Steffy sighs as she gives in and calls DJ up on the phone.

"Hello!" DJ answers.

"Hello! So, well, I can't come back to work until I go on that date with you so you better be worth it!" Steffy laughs at the end.

"Why would you think I'm not?" DJ chuckles into the phone.

"Well, I'm so focused on work right now I don't know how to turn it off." Steffy explains.

"Oh, I know how to fix that! Meet me at Dayzee´s tomorrow and I'll rock your world!" He giggles as he hangs up the phone without telling her when to meet him there.

I'm done!

When Dayzee´s has been opened for fifteen minutes, Steffy Forrester walks through the door wearing a pair of denim shorts with a bright orange tank top and a pair of sneakers on her feet. She also has a bag with her with a couple of bathing suites, some new underwear and a towel.

She walks up to the counter and asks if a DJ Sharpe had come already, but he hadn't so she sits down in a booth and from where she sits, she sees him walk into the coffee shop. He's wearing a pair of surfer shorts and a t-shirt with it's sleeves cut off and Steffy can feel herself getting a little weak in the knees.

She sees him walk up to the counter and talk to the woman standing behind the counter who points in her direction, so she waves her hand to show him where she's at and sees him stroll through the labyrinth of tables in the little coffee shop.

"Hi! How are you?" Steffy gets up to greet him with a hug.

"Hello! I'm good, you?"

"I'm good, so what's the plan for the day?" Steffy´s eyes start to sparkle.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, so I'm just gonna show you to our first stop!" Then he sits down.

"I thought we were leaving?"

"Yeah, but I thought we'd have some breakfast first." And just as he says breakfast, Sherrei comes over with a tray filled with two cups of coffee, two bagels, two small glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice and two bowls of mixed fruits on top of some sort of porridge with some milk. "Let's eat!"

"Yeah, it's not like I have to be at work any time soon!" Steffy chuckles.

"Right! I have you all to myself all day today!" The smile on DJ´s face is enchanting. Combining that with the brownest eyes she'd ever seen and it was hard to resist.

Then Liam Spencer walks through the door and Steffy feels herself retracting back into her shell again. He looks around the place and when he sees Steffy out on the town having fun with another man, he get's furious, so he walks over.

"Well well, what do we have here? Is he the reason you broke up our engagement?" DJ turns around to look at the man that interrupted their nice little breakfast and finds himself amused and just waiting to see what Steffy would say.

I'm done!

After finding out that the doctor he had gone to to see if he could reverse his vasectomy had been an alcoholic and had gotten his license revoked, Ridge went to get a second opinion and at the same time Caroline had gone to an ultrasound and there they'd found that their calculations had been wrong and they had to take about a week of the estimated age of the fetus, meaning that the baby couldn't be Thomas´s and since Caroline knew she'd only slept with two men since her and Rick´s divorce, there could only be one man who was the father of her baby boy.

Caroline finds her husband hard at work at the office.

"Hello you!" The smile reaches her eyes for the first time since she found out she was pregnant and Ridge was sterile. "Guess what!"

She walks over and sits down on his lap, well, as far as she can with the belly.

"Hello! What?" Ridge looks up from the sketch he's working on and kisses his beautiful wife.

"You're the baby´s father, you're the father of our little boy. He's not Thomas´s son. Our little boy is younger then we originally thought and that makes him your little boy." Caroline has once again gotten that pregnancy glow she had before learning about Ridge´s vasectomy.

"I went and got a second opinion about that and that doctor said that there was a fifty-fifty chance that I could father a child, so I can and I will give you the family you wanted!" Ridge spins them around on the chair one time as a celebration.

"We're having a baby, Ridge." Caroline places her hands on Ridges face. "We're having a baby!"

He spins them around once more as he kisses her deeply.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Yeah, I got to 13 pages when I realized that the chapter was getting a little long, so I ended it at some really happy news.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:**

 **Yeah, so, last chapter got a little bit long, so I broke it up after the very good Caridge news!**

 **Anyway, as always I do not own a thing. Not the characters or the show.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter 4**

Steffy gives a sigh.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but I hadn't seen DJ here since I was what? Six years old until he came to California a few days ago and now we're taking the day off work to get to know each other again.. You know, since it's Saturday. And you know the many reasons I broke our engagement, you just don't want to hear them." Steffy picks up her bagel and takes a bite. "What I do from here on out is not any of your business. I loved you unconditionally for five years and that just wasn't enough for you, so I'm moving on." She turns her attention back to DJ. "Now, I'm done with eating breakfast. Should we go?"

DJ has looked closely during the conversation and he sees the way Steffy grows with each word she says.

"Yeah, I'm done too. Let's go to our next location!"

Both of them walk out of Dayzee´s without looking back.

I'm done!

The rest of the day consisted of the two of them going to the beach, having a picnic while looking at the clouds and getting rained on, then he confronts her with something she never thought she'd do again.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not doing that!" She can feel the panic attack coming. Her chest tightens, she looses her breath and her knees goes weak. Her whole world is spinning and she just doesn't know what to do.

He can see this and he knows the reaction well because ever since his mother gave her baby up to be with her father, she's had the same reaction when ever something hadn't worked the way she wanted it and the only way to calm it down was putting pressure on the body and a strong hug normally did the job. He knew she'd fight him at first, but then she'd feel the changes in her body and she'd relax into him.

So just as she starts falling to the ground he grabs hold of her, forces her into his arms and holds her tight and close, it takes almost half an hour before he feels her relax into him.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I know about the accident where you lost your and Liam´s baby, but I also know that it was not your fault, that the other driver was not paying attention and according to the witnesses, you weren't driving recklessly, you didn't do anything wrong." DJ tries to calm her down even more.

"But I didn't have to get on that bike, I could have just walked back in the house and asked them to help me get my car out, but I didn't because I wanted to get home to Liam, who I had promised I would not get on the bike while I was pregnant." Tears flows down Steffy´s cheeks and it's obvious to DJ that she needs to talk about what happened and actually get on a bike again.

"Still, it wasn't your fault that you lost the baby, you were paying attention to the road, otherwise the accident could have cost you so much more than it did. You could have died and what would have happened to your family then? Your mother for instance, how would she have felt if her other daughter had died in a car accident?"

"I know all that, but it doesn't take away the fact that my baby died, because I was in such a hurry that I couldn't go back into the house and ask them to remove the car that was blocking mine so I could go home." The tears are calming down.

"But it could have happened while you were driving as well! It could have happened while you and Liam were outside walking. If any of those scenarios had happened, would you have stopped driving your car? Stopped taking walks?" DJ is pushing her to let go of her fears and realize that it truly wasn't her fault.

"No, but that's different, I need the car to get to where I need to be and walks are one of many ways I can exercise, I don't need the bike to go on with my life." Resistance was expected.

"Right. Have you missed just getting on the bike and drive off since you last sat on a bike?"

"The last time I sat on a bike, my baby died, so no, I haven't missed it at all." Steffy is putting up all of her stubbornness to try and make him back away.

"Well then, that's just sad. I mean, I get that you're not all that excited to get back on the bike, but I don't get how you can't miss it. Also, the only way for us to get to our next stop is for you to get on that bike." He matches her stubbornness to a T. "Why don't you just sit on it for a bit?"

I'm done!

Meanwhile, Bill has some things he has to talk about with his son.

 **Bill:** _I need to see you as soon as possible!_

 **Wyatt:** _Okay! I'll be right over!_

 **Bill:** _Good, I'll see you soon!_

I'm done!

"I wonder what that's about." Wyatt looks towards his mother as he's speaking.

"What?" Quinn looks up from the piece of paper she's focused on for the last hour.

"Dad just texted me that he wants to see me ASAP. He didn't tell me about what." Wyatt scratches his head.

"Well, you'd better scoot on over there then. It might be important." Quinn waves her son off and watches him walk out of her office.

 **Quinn:** _I don't suppose you know why Bill wants to talk to my son?_

 **Katie:** _I have a hunch, but I'm not sure so I can't say much._

 **Quinn:** _Oh, I guess I'll find out when he get's back to the office then._

I'm done!

It took him half an hour to get to his fathers office. He knocks on the door and waits for his father to answer.

"Come in!" Bill looks up from the papers in front of him as the person on the other side of the door walked through it. "Hi Wyatt!"

"Hi dad! What's up?" Wyatt has not taken a seat in the chair in front of him yet.

"I'm releasing you from your duties as Forrester´s VP, I have sold the shares to Steffy because I feel like I need to keep my association with the Forrester family and the Logan family aside from Katie and our son to a minimum. Me and Katie are having a trial separation right now just to see if we are better together or apart." Bill has looked Wyatt in the eyes as he speaks.

"Okay, good to know! I can continue working whole time with my mother then? I don't have to split my time?" Wyatt places his hands on the chairs backrest to lean on it.

"Exactly, if that is what you want to do!" Bill nods his head.

"Does Liam know?" Wyatt can see by the guilt in in his fathers eyes that his half brother doesn't know. "Are you going to tell him?"

"No, I'm not, at least not until he's wrapped his head around the fact that he and Steffy´s relationship is over and that might take a while. He's in his office right now fuming because he saw Steffy out on the town with a guy he has no idea who it is." Bill has started looking through the papers on his desk again.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I know he saw those shares as his way to spend time with Hope to begin with and then now Steffy. The fact that she now owns those shares could potentially drive him off the edge at the current state of his mind." Wyatt nods his head in agreement with his fathers choice.

There's a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Liam looks through the crack of the door and what he sees he's not happy about.

"Well well, if it isn't my favorite brother. Come to bash me to my father as well?" Liam looks disgusted.

"Well, you know what? Despite the what Steffy said. Maybe I should send you to the New York office anyway?" Bill has had enough of his middle son´s behavior the last few months.

"Now why exactly would you do that?" Liam smirks.

"How many reasons do you want?" Bill stands up and places his hands on his waist. "Let's start with going behind your fiance´s back with your ex not letting her know that the woman your brother is with is only with him because she really wants you, but you're with someone else? Or maybe going behind your brothers back letting his girlfriend kiss you and not tell him about it? How about the fact that your brothers girlfriend cheated on him with your fiance´s brother and then you cannot even take responsibility for your actions and you just say that you are not responsible for your brother being hurt after he finds out that the girl he's proposing to and who is going to say yes has been kissing you behind both his and your fiance´s back telling you she loves you? I know I haven't been the best husband to Katie and I wish that I could be what she needs, but this is about you and your behavior, not mine!"

"Or how about when you told my wife that she should consider aborting my child because it wasn't yours and it stood in between you and her being together or how you said that she didn't need to tell me and that she could raise it with you when she said no to the first one?" Bill´s shocked face when Wyatt spills out that the one thing that hurt him the most during the triangle between him, Hope and Liam is one for the record books.

"I'm sorry what?" Bill manages to get out when the shock wears off.

"Yeah, I listened to that whole conversation because Hope had pocket dialed me just before telling my brother that she was pregnant with my baby before even telling me. Listening to my brother ask my wife to terminate the pregnancy because it was the only way they could be together was heartbreaking." Wyatt starts getting angry. "Pretending to be overjoyed when she came home and told me that she was pregnant was excruciating. Then listening to Steffy about how you just simply walked away and right into Hope´s arms after she lost your baby, that ripped up all the emotions that I thought I had buried and you just couldn't care less. I know who you are Liam and I know what you're capable of. I'm not going to let myself be fooled by you ever again."

"Yeah, no, I really don't see why Steffy loved you for so long for anymore. Now I'm glad she dumped you." Bill is stunned over his oldest admission. "She doesn't need you and I'm sad that I haven't seen that before. It's a good thing she came to her senses. And yes, I'll send you to New York, effective immediately. Go home and pack your stuff. I'm calling your aunt to see if she has a room for you to live in."

Liam just nods his head and walks out the door with his head down.

"So, you gonna tell Steffy about this?" Wyatt sighs defeated.

"I think that you should. It's your story so you should tell it." Bill sits down again and and gives a slight growl. "I can't believe I rubbed of on him so fast, I thought Kelly raised him better then that."

"I don't know what he was like when he came here, but he cannot have been this bad back then. There's just no way!" Wyatt has ended up on the couch where he's slouched over one of the armrests. "Or was he? I know I haven't exactly been an angel myself, but suggesting that a woman aborts her baby when he's lost one of his own is pretty cold."

"Did he actually use the word abortion?"

"No, but reading between the lines that's the only meaning I could come up with. 'That baby is the only thing standing between us being together.'"

"Yeah, no I can't see any other meaning either."

"Okay, that was all a little to deep for me at the moment so I'm gonna go back to work! See you later!" Wyatt moves to get up off the couch and waves his hand as he walks out the door.

It takes Bill almost 10 minutes to get his head around everything and then he calls Karen to ask her to set everything up. Then he calls someone he never thought he'd call by his own free will.

I'm done!

She's standing beside the bike and she's shaking, which he notices.

"No, I can't do this!" She starts shaking her head.

"Okay, what if I sit on it first and then you climb on the back and hold on?" DJ asks.

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything!" Steffy watches DJ climb onto the bike and then he hands her the helmet. "Safety first! That is what saved your life last time you know!"

She puts the helmet on, climbs on behind him and wraps her arms around his waist. He can feel her body shaking against his. He places one of his hands on her hands and they just sit on it for a while.

I'm done!

She's getting into bed when the phone rings.

"Hello!"

"Hi Taylor! It's Bill!"

"Well, isn't this a surprise. I never thought I'd hear from you without having to get yelled at. How do I know you won't yell at me? Well, I haven't outed your affair with your sister in law nor my daughter in the last few months so you must be calling because you need something. So, what's up?" Taylor has sat herself down on the couch for this conversation.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. Are you by any chance on your way to the states any time soon? I mean, now that Steffy has bought my 12,5% of Forrester Creations and dumped my son, I think she might need to talk to her mother about some things."

"Wait, did you say Steffy broke up with Liam? And you support that? I mean, you were her and Liam´s biggest supporter." Taylor is surprised.

"Yeah, I used to be, but my son had been behaving like me lately and I really don't want that for your daughter. Liam wasn't good for her, I see that now and I most certainly was not good for your daughter. Anyway. How about answering my other question? You coming to the states any time soon?" She can hear on his voice that he's getting frustrated.

"Yeah, I'm modeling in a campaign for Forrester Creations in a few months, but I can go sooner if Steffy needs me, we can talk then if you want? I need to talk to my daughter first."

I'm done!

She's been sitting behind him on the motorcycle for about 20 minutes when he can feel her relax, so he turns the ignition on and when she doesn't react, he rides around the parking lot for a while and when she doesn't seem to mind that either, he takes off for a beautiful ride down the coast line. About an hour or so later he pulls over and gets off.

Steffy looks at him confused, so he waves with his hand that she should scoot forward and that she should drive the bike. Because she hasn't felt any negative feelings since before they rode around the parking lot, she decides to give it ago.

Turning the ignition on she feels a little hesitant, but she always did in the beginning when she first started riding. It wasn't soon after that she felt that rush of adrenaline flowing through her veins again and she realized she had missed riding a bike, when he signaled for them to turn back to where they came from, she was disappointed. But she got to drive all the way back to the parking lot.

I'm done!

Wyatt stalks through the door of his mothers office with a frown on his face. Quinn looks up from the sketch she has been working on since he left.

"Well, what did Bill want? Why do you look so worried?"

"He just wanted to let me know that I won't be in charge of his shares in Forrester Creations anymore." Wyatt walks over to the computer and starts working on the company´s website.

"How come?"

Wyatt looks up from the computer. "He sold them to Steffy because he doesn't want to have any more to do with the Forrester´s then necessary. He's also separated from Katie to figure out what he wants."

Quinn looks a little closer on her sons face. "Something else happened after your father told you about the shares. Tell me."

Wyatt lets out a heavy sigh."You know how I didn't fight more then I did for Hope and I´s marriage after she left for Milan?" Wyatt sees his mother nod her head. "Well, there was a reason for that. She hurt me to the core when she decided to tell Liam about our baby before she told me. Neither Hope nor Liam knew that I heard him in not so many words suggest my wife terminate the pregnancy so that they could be together, and when she reacted badly, he then offered that they not tell me about the baby and that they'd raise it together. Hope felt the need to tell her brother in law that she was pregnant before even telling the father of the baby who happened to be her husband. Acting all happy and blissful when she came home and told me about the baby was excruciating and the next few months were a mix of joy at the prospect of becoming a father and despair because she clearly didn't want to have a baby with me, it was just the hand she'd been dealt as a consequence of the choices she made when she married me on that yacht. I wanted her, she wanted to punish my brother and I just couldn't deal with that, so I let that marriage go and I let her go. Why would I want to be in a relationship like that? It's why I let Ivy go as well. I want my girlfriend or wife to want to be with me for me, not because the one she's with isn't available. So, what happened was that dad had enough of Liam´s behavior and when dad told him he'd ship him off to New York, Liam smirked and asked why. Dad gave his reasons and then I dropped my bomb. So Liam is at home packing up his stuff and moving to New York indefinitely."

Wyatt takes a deep breath. "Or at least until he's accepted that he and Steffy are over. Apparently he saw her at Dayzee´s with a guy he didn't know who it was and threw a fit when he got to the office then spent the rest of the morning fuming because his 'fiance' was meeting men he don't know who they are. Like seriously, he was dumped five days ago because of his own actions and he just can't stand it."

Quinn looks at her son with sympathy in her eyes.

"Some people, myself included some times, just doesn't think that there would be consequences for their actions. I know I haven't always been the best of mothers, but I'll but out of your love life from now on, except if I feel like the girl just isn't it. Okay?"

Wyatt gets out of the chair and walks over to his mother to give her a hug. "Yeah, but could you just stick to talking to me about it? Me and only me?"

"So, who was this guy Steffy was out with?" The curiosity sparked in Quinn´s eyes.

"Some guy named DJ? I don't know actually." Wyatt shrugs his shoulders.

"Are you serious? I thought he was in Genoa City with his mother still. I guess I better talk to my husband I think." Quinn is talking to herself at the end.

"What? Who's DJ?" Wyatt is confused.

"DJ is your stepbrother Wyatt and former brother in law. Deacon Sharpe Jr." At this revelation, Wyatt starts snickering.

"I gotta send a text."

 **Wyatt:** You know that guy Liam saw Steffy with?

 **Dad:** Yeah?

 **Wyatt:** He's Hope´s brother. Deacon´s son.

 **Dad:** Liam is not going to be happy about this!

 **Wyatt:** Does he really have the right to get mad though?

 **Dad:** No, I guess not. Who told you this?

 **Wyatt:** Mom did. He's my stepbrother you know!

 **Dad:** Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

I'm done!

"Yeah, you were right. I do miss being able to just get on my bike and just ride. But doing it feels like I'm letting go of my baby and that just doesn't feel right, that I can just be so so so happy doing something that took my baby´s life. How do you move on from that?" They were standing by the car and had left the bike in the capable hands of the man DJ rented the motor cycle from.

"I don't think you can, but do you really think your baby would want you to give up everything you love because you lost it?" He's leaning on the car looking at her from the drivers side as she's moving to open the door.

"Maybe not, but she could have still been here if I hadn't taken the motorcycle that one time." Tears are glistening in her eyes.

"You are not going to like me very much after what I'm about to say I think." DJ braces himself against the backlash that might come after he's done talking. "I don't think you were meant to have that baby. It would have been wonderful if she was still with you, but I think she was a way to get you thinking about the choices you've made in life and to redirect your wishes and wants. You've tried a few more times with Liam now and you have said it yourself that you're done now. Do you feel more or less like yourself right now compared to a couple of years ago?"

She had become really angry when he first started talking, but then as the words sank in, she saw it. Her daughters death was supposed to help her build on her self, her self worth and become someone better then she has been. The little insecure girl that fell for Bill, Liam and Rick had grown up and realized that what she wants out of life is more then she thought she'd ever have. She knew what she'd get with Liam, a man not completely devoted to her and who really didn't understand her.

The surprise is evident in his eyes as she speaks.

"Spending this time with you, getting on the bike again and having to answer these tough questions that you've been asking has made me see that I deserve more in life and that maybe my daughters death was a chance for me to grow as a person and not be the girl I used to be. I probably won't be getting on the bike again for some time, but I know now that something bad won't happen just cause I get on it. There is so much that I need to do in the future that I probably won't have time to do anything else but work and that's okay, because the bike will always be there for me when I'm ready to get on it again. I'm ready to let myself out in the world again, let myself out of my little bubble that I've created because my baby died and I didn't feel like I deserved to be happy again. I've spent years pretending to be happy in a situation that I really wasn't comfortable in. I do deserve to be happy again. I am unleashing the true force of Stephanie Forrester Jr on the world and it had better look out!"

At the end of her declaration her glow intensifies even more and it's almost like when Bella wakes up as a vampire in the Twilight-movie. She's more beautiful than she was before because her beauty shines through from within, now, that might not have been the reason behind Bella´s transformation, but it's the reason behind hers and that's all he needs to know.

"You hungry? I have table reservations at a favorite restaurant of mine." He winks. "Let's unleash some of you on LA shall we?"

"Yes, I'm a little hungry, riding always makes me hungry. Where are we going?" Steffy is feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.

"You might have heard of it? SUR? I love that place." There's a twinkle in his eye.

"Really? SUR?" The frown on Steffy´s forehead is adorable.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. That's to famous for me. Let's go."

I'm done!

Sunday morning have Steffy Forrester walking through the doors of her grandfathers house doing what only could be described as a so called 'Walk of shame'. Except there's nothing shameful about it. She has her shoes in one hand and the bag with her bathing suits and towel as well as some other trinkets in the other.

"Well well, look who decided to come home at 4:30 in the morning. Must have been a good date for you to come back at this hour." Thomas is walking through the door to the kitchen just as she closes the front door. She's doing that stupid 'Lean against the door and sigh'-thing that girls do in movies when they have found the one when he spots her. "That good huh?"

"Oh, totally that good!" She then drops the bag on the floor, takes her brothers glass of water and gulps it up, hands him the glass back and then walks over to the sofa and slides down it to a very comfortable position. "I'll take care of that in a minute, right now I need to sit down for a bit."

"You just wait here, I gotta refill this glass and then I'll come back and we'll talk for a bit."

He walks back into the kitchen and when he get's back he sees something that makes him smile. She's fallen asleep on the sofa with a big smile on her face and somehow she looks different. She seems at peace and it's been a long time since he's seen that.

He picks up a blanket and places it over her legs since she's still wearing the college hood that she's had in her bag practically the whole day.

"I love you sis. Don't go changing to much, just evolve into a better version of yourself!" He caresses her hair before going back upstairs to get some more sleep.

"I love you too." He hears her whisper in her sleep.

He scribbles a note on a post it saying to keep it quiet when the rest of the house wakes up and places it on the inside of the door to his father and Caroline´s room then walks to his own and gets into bed.

I'm done!

Caroline is the second one up that Sunday and as she's walking out the door the little post it note stands out as it's pink.

 _Steffy walked through the door at_

 _4:30 this morning. Good date._

 _Sleeping on couch. Shush!_

 _/Thomas_

Caroline feels a smile coming to her face so she goes and wakes her husband up.

"Good morning!" She kisses his lips. "Apparently your daughter stayed out after curfew yesterday, didn't come home until earlier this morning. She's sleeping on the couch and Thomas asked us to be quiet when we go down."

There's a big smile on his lips when he fully comprehends what Caroline means.

"Let's go see her then." She grabs his hand and practically pulls him to the stairs and then they sneak down to the ground floor and watch his daughter sleeping on the couch for almost 10 minutes.

Caroline motions Ridge to walk into the kitchen to start working on breakfast.

"Did you see how serene she looked sleeping on the couch? That's not a comfortable couch to spend the night on. How on earth did she manage to fall asleep?" Caroline has a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Well, she left at 8:30 yesterday morning and came home at 4:30 this morning. She'd been up for 20 hours at least, of course she'd be tired. It seems my instincts were right though. DJ is a perfect match for Steffy at this point in time." Both nod at this statement.

Thomas walks through the door to the kitchen.

"So, what were you doing up at 4:30 this morning?" The smile on Caroline´s face just cannot be denied.

"Well, I was thirsty and I had checked Steffy´s room before I came down so I thought I'd wait up for her for a while. Fortunately she came home just as I walked through the door from the kitchen. She did that whole 'Lean on the door and sigh'-thing that girls does in movies." He chuckles.

"Are you serious?" Caroline claps her hands together looking totally giddy, very quietly though!

"I wonder what happened?"

"We'll find out when she wakes up I think. But she said it was a really good date and she looked so much lighter then when she left yesterday morning. She must have let some things go during the date." Thomas shrugs his shoulders. "So, you gonna let her come back to work today?"

"I don't think she'll go in today. I mean, you saw her on the way in right? She knows we have so much to do during the next few months so she'll probably going to stay home today and just relax by the pool. Maybe have the dark 'stranger'-ish man come and spend some time with her in the pool?"

"Maybe. We'll see." At that exact moment Steffy walks through the door.

"G'mornin'! What's happening today then?" She still looks tired. Walks to the fridge, takes out a doughnut and a can of coca cola and when she sees the faces of her father, brother and stepmother. "What? Never seen me eat a doughnut before?"

She shrugs her shoulders when the three still doesn't say a thing and then walks out the door. "I'm going to bed! I'll see you later!"

"Who was that? That cannot be Stephanie Forrester Jr? What on earth did he do to her?" Ridge shakes his head at his wife´s comment.

"That sure is my daughter. It's like I've been transported back in time." Thomas can only nod his head.

His sister is back to what she was before Phoebe´s death, fun loving, not so serious all the time and she absolutely didn't seek approval every chance she got.

"I think he made her see the way she's been living since Aspen died has taken a huge toll on her." Thomas offers as an explanation.

I'm done!

The rest of the day was spent by the pool, just like Ridge had said. It was the first day in years that Steffy had just spent not doing anything work related at all. Yes, she'd spent the day before not doing anything work related, but she couldn't come back to work unless she spent the day with DJ and she was really happy she did.

Both today and yesterday proved to be a good day.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **So, yeah. That's it for chapter 4. I love Deffy. At least my version of them. On the show Little D is really young and I don't know how that comes to be that a child born some months later suddenly is older then the child born before it.**

 **Steffy still doesn't know about Liam moving to New York, the only people who knows are Bill, Liam, Wyatt and Quinn. Next chapter should let her know. I think.**

 **The next chapter is the start of January 11th of 2016 though. Someone will be coming back from Europe. Maybe even someones.**

 **Have a good day and I'll see you soon?**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **If you don't feel comfortable leaving a review, send me a PM!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:**

 **Okej, a few chapters ago I was asked to not break Steam up, I thought it was clear in the first chapter of this story that Steam are in fact broken up and will not be getting back together as Steffy has had enough of Liam not supporting her and Liam not having the same feelings about their relationship that she does.**

 **As usual I do not own anything in regards to the show The Bold and the Beautiful.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter 5**

 _January 11th 2016_

Monday morning rose bright and early for everyone in the Forrester Mansion. But no one was up as early as Steffy Forrester.

She was puttering about in the kitchen to make herself breakfast before heading of to work. She had a couple of eggs in a bowl ready to be fried up, but she felt like she needed something else and when she found the toaster hidden away in a cupboard she made an excited sound.

Eggs and avocado on toast with a few slices of tomato and some salt and pepper on it was her favorite breakfast. The coffee was brewing and made the whole kitchen smell lovely and the pan for frying the eggs was heating up. She sprinkled some salt, pepper, basil and paprika on the eggs and whisked them together. Put the two pieces of toast in the toaster and put some honey in her coffee cup.

When her phone makes a sound to alert her that there is a text message for her, she scurries to find it on the table and take a look.

 **Mom:** Bill called me yesterday saying you've dumped 'the love of your life', is this true? Call me when you can!

So she exits the messages and calls her mother.

"Good morning Steffy! Isn't this a little early for you to be up?" Taylor is snacking on some grapes as she's talking.

"Uhm, it's 5 am mom and I haven't been to work for the last two and a half days, I need to get back as soon as possible." Steffy has a smile on her lips as she's talking to one of the most important women in her life.

"My workaholic daughter hasn't been to work the whole weekend? What on earth has happened to you?" The chuckle that escapes Taylor´s lips could not be avoided.

"Yeah, I was banned from work by dad on Friday, could not come back until I'd been on a date with DJ." Steffy puts the phone on speaker as she starts cooking the eggs as the toaster has done it's job. "Yesterday I took a day off because it's been such a long time and there is so much stuff that's going to happen very soon, so I'm two days behind on work and I need to get on that and the way to do so is by getting up early and getting things done."

"Yeah, of course! You'd better get to it then! But tell me what happened with you and Liam before you go?"

"He decided that it was not in either mine or Wyatt´s interest to know that Wyatt´s girlfriend had cheated on him, when I told Wyatt about it, Wyatt´s girlfriend came after me to confront me even though she had days to tell him before I did. He forgives her and gets ready to ask her to marry him and as he's asking her, Quinn walks through the door and demands she tells Wyatt how she really feels, which Quinn had heard Ivy tell Liam behind both mine and Wyatt´s backs. Things happened, Ivy landed in the hospital because she had trouble to walk down the stairs with luggage. Anyway, Ivy ended up in the hospital again and then on the flight to Australia Liam decided that he needed to walk her on the plane, he then went and got a wet cloth for Ivy and somehow banged his head and lost consciousness and ended up taking a trip to Australia. I got fed up and walked out on him and ended our engagement because if he doesn't see the need to tell me that his brothers girlfriend is coming onto him and decides to keep that information from both me and his brother and it has happened multiple times, I really can't deal with that. It was totally different with Hope. Completely different. But this time he went to far and when he called me when the plane had landed I just had enough. He's either my fiance or her savior while listening to her bash me. I have loved him unconditionally for almost six years, I deserve to have that love back and he can't give it to me so I'm done and I'm moving on!"

"Oh, yeah. Good choice! Bill called me to inform me that you might want me to come over the ocean to see you, but I think you're doing just fine. But I wanted to ask you anyway? Do you need me to come to LA for a bit to spend time with you?" Taylor starts checking plane ticket prices.

"Yeah, I think both Thomas and me could do with a little mom time right now. What with dad having a baby and everything that's changing at Forrester right now and me and Liam being over." Steffy ponders the suggestion. "Yeah, I think you should come see us for a little bit. I mean, Bridget is coming home in two weeks, you could come see us then? Maybe she could offer you a job at her new clinic? You could come home all together. Nick and Jack are also coming back." At Steffy´s mention of Nick and Jack, Taylor feels her heart flutter a little bit.

"Yeah, I'll come see you then and we'll see what happens. I kinda feel like it's time to come back anyway and now with this new line you're creating, there are even more reasons. We'll see what happens. But I will come see you. All of you!" Taylor is final in her decision. "I'll let you get back to breakfast and off to work! I love you honey!"

"I love you too mom!" Steffy´s mind starts working though so she sends a text. It takes a few minutes and then she gets a response. After that a small conversation starts and at the end, both involved are happy. Plans have been made.

I'm done!

6:15 am Steffy parks her car in the Forrester Creations parking lot and starts walking towards the entry way and is surprised when she sees Wyatt waiting for her there.

"Good morning Wyatt! How are you doing?" She's searching for the key card to unlock the door as she's greeting her exes brother.

"G'morning Steffy! I'm kinda good. I've got something I need to talk to you about and I need to do it soon. I tried talking to you yesterday, but your phone was turned off and I didn't know where you were." Wyatt sighs.

"I was spending the day by the pool yesterday. You wanna come with up to my office?" Steffy asks and Wyatt nods.

They walk over to the elevator in silence and they don't talk the whole way there.

"So, Liam is on his way to New York at the moment to work over there for the time being." Wyatt forces out.

"How come? What has changed since Bill and I talked about that last time we spoke?" Steffy is surprised by the news.

"Some things came out that weren't in his favor and he'd been sitting in his office the whole day Saturday moaning and whining about how his 'fiance' was out on the town with men he had no idea who they were, so dad made the decision to send him of to New York." Wyatt explains.

"Okay, do I need to know what those things are?" They've sat down on the couch since they entered Steffy´s office.

"Well, I believe you should know one of them at least. Do you remember that when Hope and I were married, we were going to have a baby?" Steffy nods her head. "Well, Hope decided to tell Liam about our baby first and as she did, he gave some suggestions that weren't what you'd think a guy who'd previously lost a child would give. He didn't say the word abortion, but there really isn't any other way you can decode what he meant. When Hope didn't react the way he wanted her to, he suggested that they'd not tell me about it and raise the baby as theirs, so he basically said that they'd steal my baby from me just so they could be together. Hope turned that down too." Wyatt was acting really nervous.

"Did Hope tell you this?" Wyatt shakes his head. "How did you find out?" Steffy has an inkling on how he found out, but she needs confirmation.

"Hope had pocket dialed me when she met with Liam that day and when she came home looking bright eyed and she looked so happy when she told me, the act I put on that day would've given me an Oscar." Steffy pulls Wyatt into a hug and he starts crying.

"You and me, we are stronger then them. Right?" She can feel him nod against her shoulder. "We'll move on from this. I got a very tough question handed to me on Saturday and I want to ask you that same question. Do you believe that your baby would want you to wallow in the self imposed misery that you're putting on yourself?"

"I don't know, but I know I can't live like this forever. I need to let him go and move on. I thought I had, but then we had our conversation in the cliff house and it just brought everything back. So when dad was listing his reasons for sending Liam to New York I just blurted it out. As far as the other reasons you know those already. The Liam and Ivy-situation." Wyatt´s tears are drying up.

"Yeah. So after Liam and I lost our baby and I was so devastated about it that I couldn't even ride a motorcycle for years, he went about asking another woman to 'abort' her child with her husband so they could be together?" Watching Wyatt nod she felt her heart break all over again.

"Had I known this I wouldn't have fought for him when I came back. The fact that he viewed our baby as something to just let go as easily as he did, while I beat up my bike because of her death. I never should have tried with him again. It's like I said, what we had meant more to me then him. Clearly." She starts wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Now, I hate to cut this short, but I've got two days worth of work that needs to be taken care of." She's pointing at the big pile of documents that needs sorting through. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"Yeah, actually. Mom sent you an e-mail yesterday with some files for the designs for the Men´s line that she wanted you to look at if they're good enough!" Wyatt puts on his professional face in like a second. You'd never know he's cried his eyes out just a few minutes earlier.

"Let me just start my computer and I'll take a look at them." Her laptop starts buzzing and two minutes later she's looking at the designs. "They look great! I'm really happy with them. I'll talk to my father as well and see what he thinks, but they should be good to go! Please tell your mother that she's doing a really good job! I'd like to see a design for each of the four ladies that includes a necklace, two different, but cohesive, pairs of earrings, a bracelet and a ring, for Phoebe and Aly maybe add a headband of some sort as well? Oh, and all four sets should be able to break up and be able to work with the others as well. Like you could wear Macy´s necklace, Phoebe´s earrings, Darla´s ring and Aly´s bracelet, if you know what I mean? Maybe stick with the same metal? They do not have to be manufactured yet, just a design sheet, either of you can come with the sheets when ever you're done with them, I'm not placing a time limit. I'm really excited about this!"

Her eyes are sparkling.

"I can see that! I'll let my mother know, I take it you'll be sending her an e-mail as well?" Steffy nods her head.

"Definitely! That way she has it in black on white as well." Steffy gets up to give Wyatt a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you've been where I am, but I feel like something has been lifted from my shoulders. Thank you for taking my mind of it from time to time!"

"Any time Wyatt. You're a good friend. I hope you find her someday and I'm sorry Hope and Ivy wasn't it. My mom is coming over in a few weeks from Paris, so if you wanna talk to her for a bit I think she'd be willing to listen. Otherwise your step brother is a great feelings analyst. He's not a therapist or psychologist, but he's great at asking the hard questions!" She gives him another hug. "Now, leave, I need to work!"

He gives a chuckle as he walks out the door.

I'm done!

The clock had struck 12 pm when there was a knock on her door, previously there had been heads sticking through the opening at least every hour to check in, update or have an impromptu meeting. This time however a picnic basket was presented through the opening.

"Oh, food!" Just as she speaks her stomach starts growling. "How did who know I'd be starting to crave food right now?"

The chuckling on the other side of the door lets her know who's there. She's been really productive this morning and the big pile of documents had decreased by half and she was really proud of herself.

"Aunt Pam! Come in!" And Pam walks through the door.

"Hello to you too!" Steffy has started to walk over to the couch and Pam follows her. Then she starts unpacking the basket.

Sandwiches, slices of melon, two bottles of lemonade and a box of strawberries.

"This looks delicious! Thank you Aunt Pam for bringing me lunch!" She gives Pam a big hug.

"Well, I got a call from Ridge this morning saying that you were back at work and had a busy day so I decided to fix you some lunch. No, he did not ask me to do it. So don't yell at him for calling me!" Pam gives one of her stern glances.

"I promise I won't yell at my father. This sandwich is so good though. Delicious! So thank you again!" Steffy´s smile reaches her eyes again.

"Good! You're welcome! I like doing this for you guys! Make food and bake and all that fun stuff!"

"Yeah, I know!" Steffy gives a big smile yet again and then bites of a big piece of the sandwich.

There's a knock on the door and after Steffy has asked the person to come in, DJ pokes his head through the door.

"Oh man, here I thought I was a good friend bringing you lunch and you're already sitting down eating?" DJ looks so disappointed.

"Well, what did you bring?" Steffy asks.

"Well, I brought some potato salad, no dairy in it, some smoked ham slices, grapes, ice tea and some watermelon cubes. Would that interest Ms Forrester?" He winks his eyebrows.

"It would certainly interest Ms Douglas if nothing else." Pam interjects as she licks her lips. Steffy gives a little chuckle at her great aunts antics.

So he walks in and puts all he's got on the table in front of them. Now Steffy licks her mouth too. She's one of those girls you hate because she can eat however much she wants and not gain any weight.

The next 30 minutes is spent getting to know DJ again, Pam had only met DJ twice before and both times he'd been under ten years old.

"Okay, my belly is stuffed and it cannot fit anything else, but feel free to leave the fruit and drinks so I have snacks for the rest of my day. Maybe bring me dinner if I'm not done yet? Because I really got to get this done!" Steffy points to both DJ and Pam. "You know, this was fun, we should totally do it again! Yes?"

The other two nods their heads in agreement and then Pam gives Steffy a hug and walks out the door saying bye for now. DJ lingers and caresses her arms a little and then gives her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good bye. I'll see you later?" Steffy looks up into his eyes for confirmation that he will come back a little later.

"Hey, I brought the revised sketches as well. I thought you might want to see them since it's D-day today!" DJ walks over to his bag once again and takes out a stack of design sheets.

"Oh, right, that's why you're here isn't it? I'll call my dad because he has to be here for this." Steffy walks over to her desk and dials her father to tell him DJ is here and the designs are also. Ridge tells her he'll come right over and that he'd bring Caroline with him.

About fifteen minutes later, Ridge knocks on the door and then enters the office with his wife following closely behind.

"Hello!" DJ shakes both Caroline and Ridge´s hands and then they get down to business.

I'm done!

On the other side of town, a certain Brooke Logan was fuming. Six days ago she had planted a hook for the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with to grab onto and leave his wife to spend eternity with her.

Four days ago, he had told her in front of pretty much everyone that he didn't love her now, but that he had loved her, with emphasis on **loved** her, which meant that he doesn't love her still, not the way she loves him. She just couldn't believe he'd turn her down like that. It had been so easy to lure him away from his wife the last time. All she had to do was show him a sample of the lingerie line and then she knew Taylor would handle the rest by getting involved.

At the moment however, what she was fuming about was that Deacon had brought his son back to LA because he was going to be working at Forrester Creations and no one had talked to her about it. Only reason she knew about it was because Rick, Maya and Nicole had moved in because apparently Ridge had supposedly gone behind his back and Rick had reacted by moving out of the mansion and since he'd sold the condo, he had nowhere to live, so Brooke´s house was it. Apparently they were bringing back Intimates and the Men´s line as well, which is something that Brooke just doesn't understand. They already have Couture, California Freedom and Hope for the Future, why would they need Intimates and the Men´s line?

She had always been told about what was going on at Forrester Creations ever since she'd started working there. And she'd be damned if she didn't get to find out soon.

She sweeps down the stairs and gets her car and drives over to Forrester Creations and storms into Ridge´s office.

"Can you please tell me what's going on right now with Forrester Creations?" She demands Ridge tell her what's going on.

"Well. Hello Ridge, How are you doing? I'm fine, you? Well, I feel like a little bitch because once again I've made a move on a relative´s man." Ridge replies sarcastically.

"What on earth are you talking about? I've done no such thing." Brooke feels offended.

"So Bill isn't married to **your sister** then? Brooke, you really messed up this time and you just don't see it do you? Couldn't stand to watch them be happy so you had to become an issue **again** for Katie in her marriage? Anyway, you asked about what's going on with Forrester Creations?" Ridge has risen from the chair he was seated on and is staring her down.

"Yes. This is my company!" Brooke stares right back.

"Actually, this is not your company it has never been your company, remember, you got those shares for Belief under false pretenses, dad didn't own Forrester Creations back then. Neither you nor your kids own a single percent of it at the moment. Me and my kids own, how many percent was it now? Oh, 62.5% right? We have majority ownership of this company and I'm glad to say that the Douglas side of the family will always have the most shares. As of last weeks meeting you do not need to know what's going on at Forrester Creations unless we decide that you do need to know and right now, you simply do not need to know what's going on!" Ridge drops the pen he's been holding. "You can leave now. You just go do what ever it is that you do and let us handle all the business parts of life."

He can see that she's becoming even more furious then she was when she walked through the door, but he just waves her off like she's not of importance at all and he watches her leave.

 _ **Ridge:** Brooke is on the war path, don't spill the beans_.

It doesn't take long for the recipient to answer.

 _ **Steffy:** Well, I'm surprised she's held out this long._

Ridge gives a chuckle.

 _ **Ridge:** Mother, you and Taylor really had Brooke´s number didn't you?_

 _ **Steffy:** Every female in this family that doesn't have Logan-blood have Brooke´s number. I do include Bridget here, somewhat. She forgave her mother way to fast. Anyway._

The meeting he and Steffy had had with DJ and Caroline had gone well and the designs were to be split between Couture, Hope for the Future, Memories and California Freedom. The bad news was that they hadn't talked to Eric about it yet.

 _ **Ridge:** I'm calling dad now to schedule a meeting with him to talk about the designs he made. Do you wanna be there?_

 _ **Steffy:** Yes, I do. He needs to see that we are a united front in regards to this so that he sees that we both feel like this. Send me a message when you know when._

 _ **Ridge:** Will do. Talk to you soon._

Ridge picks up his phone and dials a number that he thought he wouldn't dial for this reason.

The man on the other side answers fast.

"Hi dad." Ridge seems really mellow as he's talking to Eric. "We need to talk about the designs you left here on Friday after we talked about Aly´s designs."

"Hi Ridge! Yeah, I figured as much. They aren't really what you were looking for right?"

"Could you come to the office in an hour or so and we can talk then?" Ridge runs his hand through his hair. "Oh, Brooke is on a fishing expedition so please don't tell her a thing!"

"Yeah, sure. I can do that. See you later!" Eric hangs up the phone in bewilderment.

Ridge gives a sigh and puts his head in his hands feeling slightly defeated, then he rises up, takes his phone and sends a text to his daughter about what time the meeting is.

I'm done!

Meanwhile, Brooke has made it to the other side of the hallway and as she's about to knock on the door, Steffy appears almost magically coming out of the elevator with a bag from the sewing department.

"Well, hello Brooke. What can I help you with?" Steffy gives her signature 'I'm talking to Brooke Logan'-smile.

"Well, I am entitled to find out what's going on with this company, I've worked half of my life here." Brooke looks down on Steffy.

"Really? You think you deserve to know what's going on at this company that you don't own a single percent of just cause you've worked here for half your life?" Steffy opens her office door and walks through then walking to her desk setting the bag down on it. She then places her hands on her hips and stares Brooke down.

"Yes, I do actually! I've created lines that's brought very big success to this company! I'm one of the reasons it's still here!"

"Okay, you wanna know what's going on?" Steffy smirks.

"Yes, I deserve to know!"

"Nothing that you need to know about." Steffy tilts her head. "Tell me though. Do you think it's a sport to hurt the females in your family?"

"What are you talking about? I've never done such a thing." Brooke is getting angry and confused.

"So you never slept with the man your mother wanted and conceived a child with him and ruined her chance to be with him? You never slept with your daughters husband, for months and had a child with him either? Then your daughter marries another man and you lean on him because your 'husband' has decided to go back to his legal wife? Then to top it of you decide that your sisters husband is the love of your life again when she's finally reached a place where she trusts both you and him again?" Steffy has picked up a pen and is tapping the desk.

"No, I haven't."

"Well then, who was granddad with and who was he having an affair with when you got pregnant with Rick? Who was Deacon married to when you had your affair and conceived Hope? Who was Bill married to when you just a few days ago told him that you still love him and that he's the greatest love of your life causing him and Katie to separate?" She can see the hope glistening in Brooke´s eyes when she mentions Bill. "Are you serious Brooke? I just told you that your sister and her husband has separated and your happy about that? Who are you?"

"Well, Eric was with me back then, Deacon´s marriage was ending without me even being involved and I don't think Bill is married." Brooke´s stance is strong.

"Brooke! You were not with granddad back then. He was married to my grandmother, you know, the woman who hated your guts, he was having an affair with your mother and you just swoop in and gets yourself pregnant with your mothers boyfriends baby? Deacon was married to your daughter, it doesn't matter if their marriage was crumbling, you had no right to sleep with him. None what so ever! Remember what you told me when I was in love with Bill?"

Steffy glares at Brooke.

"There was no way he'd leave Katie for me because he loves her deeply and I shouldn't go after him the way I did. Well, at least I recognized that he was actually married at the time. You don't even think he's married right now and you were there when they got married again. I can't stand to look at you! Get out!" Steffy calmly stares at the woman before her. "Don't bother trying to get sympathy from granddad, dad or anyone else in this family, you've done enough damage 'following' your heart all these years."

"I still deserve to know what's going on with this company! That's never going to change!" Brooke says defiantly.

"No, you don't. There is nothing in this company that concerns you anymore. By the way, stay away from Bill, Katie and Will. Leave them be. Now go!" Steffy starts walking around the desk again to show that she means it. "Shoo!"

I'm done!

The text came to Katie´s phone at a time where she doubted her feelings for her sister where the right one.

 **Steffy:** _Just had a talk with your sister. If you ever have doubts about letting her back in, she just stood here right in front of me declaring that she's done nothing wrong, that she doesn't believe Bill is even married. She truly does not believe the men she goes after aren't with a member of her family. You do not need that in your life. It's time to let her go. I'm really sorry, but I really think it's what you need to do!_

It takes Katie over two hours to get back to Steffy.

 **Katie:** _It's going to be hard though, she's been there my entire life._

 **Steffy:** _Yes, she has, which means she should have the decency to not go after your husband, she should know the hurt she caused you the last time and she should definitely know the hurt she caused her daughter when she had her affairs with both of Bridget´s husbands. She just doesn't see what she's done wrong. She never learns._

I'm done!

Eric Forrester walked through the doors of Forrester Creations that day with a feeling of dread in his stomach. He had a feeling he knew what his oldest son wanted to talk to him about and he expected Steffy to be there during the meeting.

As he was walking towards the elevators he saw Brooke coming out of one of them positively steaming. He decided to keep out of her way and didn't even say Hi when she walked by. He spoke for a while with the guy who was handling the security of Forrester Creations today and then he realized that he couldn't put it off any longer.

So he walks towards the elevator and gets on it. It takes less then ten seconds and then he's at the executive suit of Forrester Creations, the company he built together with one of the strongest women he ever had the pleasure of knowing. Stephanie Forrester, the one and only true matriarch of this family. He had tried to make other women take over the role, but neither Taylor nor Brooke fit the bill. The reason Taylor didn't was his own fault, he shouldn't have stood by Brooke´s side during the whole Brooke is pregnant by her brother in law-mess, no matter how much he wanted to because it was the wrong thing to do. The reason Brooke wasn't was partly due to the before mentioned reason.

He knocks on the door to his sons office and as he does so, Steffy walks through the door of her own office.

"Hi granddad!" Steffy gives him a hug and he can see that what ever is going to happen isn't easy for her either. He kisses the top of her head and they walk through the door to Ridge´s office together with their arms around each other. Kind of like they're giving each other strength.

Steffy lets him go and walks over to her father to give him a hug and then stand by him.

"Hi dad!"

"Hi Ridge! What's going on?" Eric places his hands on the back rest of the chair that's in front of Ridge´s desk.

"We've taken a look at your designs and they don't really fit in with what Memories is about. So we're not going to use them for Memories, unfortunately we won't be using them at all because they look so dated. But, we used them to determine if another designer was good enough to fill the place you were going to fill within the Memories line. Here's what he came up with. The designs are paired up within the stack as the original done by you and the revised version made by him. We really want you to design with us and we've decided that you are going to be a part of the design team for Couture instead of Memories. We truly feel like that is where you belong and I think you know it too!" Ridge gives a small smile as he's talking.

"I had a feeling that it was going to turn out that way. I really didn't do my best work when I did those designs and looking at them now it would seem as if I was stuck in a time long ago! I'll be fine doing Couture and based on my performance, I think that Memories are in good hands with this new designer you've found. Who is he by the way?" Curiosity fills Eric´s eyes.

"Deacon´s son. DJ."

"Does Rick know about this?" Eric questions.

"No, and he doesn't need to. Things to do with the mother company is not anything he needs to deal with at the moment. He's got enough on his plate as it is." Steffy injects. "The only reason he's head of Forrester International is because Maya claimed to be able to claim in the media that she was fired from Forrester Creations because of her gender."

"Anyway, we've got some plans in the works for this company that I think would be very successful. So, can we welcome you back onto the design team of Forrester Creations?" Ridge extends his hand out to his father.

Eric extends his as well and shakes his sons hand with vigor.

"Yes, you can!" Eric smiles really big and the smile is reflected in both his son and his granddaughters face.

"Welcome back to the team dad/granddad!" Both of them exclaim.

I'm done!

An hour or so later both of them watch Eric leave the office with relief in their hearts.

"Well, that went smoother then I thought it would." Ridge gives a content sigh.

"I think we worry to much about upsetting him and work ourselves up way to much. We just have to trust that he will take things the right way." Steffy walks to the other side of the desk and sits down in the chair that Eric was just standing behind. "Mom is coming to visit in a few weeks. Apparently Bill called her a few days ago and told her about Liam and I and that I bought the shares. So she called to ask me if I wanted her to come visit for a while and I said I did. So she's coming around the time the youknowwhos are coming too to settle in. Just before granddad came, I had a conversation with Brooke. She was not happy when she left." Steffy gives a huge sigh. "She's also a little delusional. I asked her why she told her sisters husband that he was the love of her life. She told me with a straight face that Bill isn't her sisters husband and she seemed so strong in her conviction that it's true that it was almost scary. You don't think she's inherited her mothers decease do you? Could this be the start of her decline into Alzheimer's if that is what's going on?"

"It could definitely be a possibility. Maybe we should talk to Stephen about it? Maybe get him to tell her to get the test done? You know sort of a better safe then sorry situation? Or that could be a really bad idea, maybe we should get Katie to talk to him?" Ridge is searching for a pen.

"That could be a good idea. I know we can't talk to Rick or Brooke about it, they'd just see it as some scheme to get them out of the way." Steffy hands a pen over that she saw on the wrong side of the sign on her fathers desk. "Bridget would probably be a good idea too. I mean, she is a doctor. She could ask all of her aunts to take it?"

"Yeah, can you talk to Bridget about it?" Ridge raises his eyebrows to further cement the question.

"Yes, I'll talk to Bridget about that. I think I'll do that right now actually." Steffy picks out her phone from one of the pockets in her pants and dials Bridget´s number.

 **AN:**

 **Yeah, so, mysteries going on all over the place.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:**

 **As always I do not own a single thing that has anything to do with the show or it's characters.**

 **Remember where we left off?**

 **Brooke was delusional, Eric got demoted from Memories and Steffy and Ridge needed to talk to Bridget.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter 6**

 _January 11th 2016_

 _New York._

She was packing up the kitchen when the phone rang that evening. She picks it up and sees that it's Steffy calling.

"Hello!"

"Hi Bridget! It's Steffy!" She can hear that there is something going on in LA that's of importance.

"What's wrong?" Worry evident in Bridget´s voice.

"I really do not want you to take this the wrong way, but I feel like you need to make sure that your mother gets that test for the Alzheimer´s gene. I had a conversation, or I guess I should say confrontation, with her earlier this afternoon and she claimed that Katie and Bill hadn't been married when she went after him. Your dad also hadn't been married to Grandma when they'd had their affair and she didn't acknowledge the fact that Deacon had been your husband when that affair had happened. She seems to have lost her grip on reality and she's delusional when it comes to her love affairs." Bridget can hear the sadness in Steffy´s voice. "We can't tell her to do it because both she and Rick would just think that we're setting them up or something and we're not, I promise you that we're not. It's just that what she said sounded so out there. I mean, how can you not remember that your sister got married not that long ago?"

Bridget has never felt like neither Steffy or Ridge wanted anything bad to happen to her mother..

"I'll look into it and find out what I can and then plant some seeds. I really don't think that mom has Alzheimer´s, but it's better to find out."

"Thank you, Bridget! The way she's behaving is really strange. We really think it's better for all of you to find out what's going on. We hope it's not anything serious, but the way she believed everything she said makes me worried, makes both me and my father worried."

"Yes, I can understand that, this is a woman that's been there your whole life and seeing behavior that's not consistent with what's gone on before is scaring. But I don't think it's that bad." Bridget reassures Steffy over the phone. "I'm packing up stuff that we don't use that often in the kitchen right now. Thank you for the call, Steffy, but as I said, I don't think it's that bad. I'll see you soon!"

"I really hope it isn't! Thank you! I feel a little bit calmer now and yes, I'll see you soon!" Suddenly she remembers something. "Oh, have you talked to your people about that thing I talked to you about?"

Bridget was about to hang up when she heard Steffy ask something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said! Can you repeat that please?" Bridget scratches the side of her head by her left eye as she's talking.

"You know that thing I talked to you about? Have you talked to your people about it?" Steffy mysteriously asks again.

"I have actually, just after we talked this morning. They think it's a great idea. She's been on their radar for years now to work for them, but she's escaped them by moving to Paris whenever they've made contact. She just has to agree, she can decide what ever terms and payment she wants. It's no problem." Bridget´s happiness level increases slightly as she's talking.

"Good, she's coming to see us in a few weeks, apparently my ex father in law has something he wants to talk to her about. What that is I have no idea!" Steffy has walked over to her office in the time they've spoken. "Anyway, I'll see you in a couple of weeks, maybe you'll see her on the plane ride over to LA?"

"Yeah, maybe. I'll see you later! Have a good couple of weeks. I've got so much to pack."

"I'll let you get back to it!" The smile is back on Steffy´s face. "Bye!"

"Bye!"

Just as she hangs up her little boy walks into the kitchen with his blanket and a Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy in his hands.

"Hi Logan! I thought you were watching the television."

The little boy runs over to her and holds his arms up and so she picks him up and then walks with him back to the living room to watch some more.

I'm done!

 _Milan, Italy_

She was about to head to bed for the night when the thought came over her.

 _Liam Spencer is single and up for the taking. One more try and then I'll give that dream up._

She books a flight to go to LA in two days to see what could happen. She had always felt that there was something missing in her relationship with Liam, but she just couldn't let go of the thought that maybe it would come in time because he was the one she should be with and now that Steffy had decided to let go and move on they'd finally have a chance to find out where they stood without someone lurking behind the scene.

She knew she had overreacted during many of their break ups and she also knew she shouldn't have ended their engagement the first time, she should have had more faith in their strength as a couple and trusted the man she was supposed to marry. But she had been doubting her decision to marry Liam and therefore she had jumped at the chance to leave him, then she had started doubting it and when she saw that he had moved on with Steffy, she felt like she couldn't let Steffy win. But she had made a mistake when she decided to follow her mothers lead and sleep with Liam even though she felt like she shouldn't until they were married.

She had also realized that she'd put to much pressure on him when she decided to make their engagement a part of the campaign for Hope for the Future. That was perhaps her biggest mistake apart from not trusting Liam.

She had felt so intimidated by his bond with the brunette that she had gone overboard with ways she'd try and break it, what she should have done though was simply trust that it wouldn't get in the way of Liam and her´s future.

But she hadn't and therefore she was wallowing in her sorrows in Milan, missing the little baby she'd carried for six months before she fell down those stairs after her confrontation with Quinn. That's probably the one thing she missed the most about her marriage to Wyatt. Her little baby boy. She teared up just thinking about it and it made her disgusted at herself because she'd thought that Steffy would just get over loosing her baby and that she should just leave Liam behind since she'd trapped him with that baby. She realized now that the baby that Liam and Steffy had created hadn't been what kept Steffy and Liam together, it had just felt like it because she had announced she was pregnant just as she and Liam was getting married. Which had also been a mistake on her part.

She never should have agreed to marry another woman´s boyfriend, because that's what he was at the time, they might not have been living together still, but their relationship hadn't ended. She saw the way Liam hesitated before putting the ring on her finger, she had heard her mother tell him to put it on her finger and she had also seen the relief in Liam´s eyes when Steffy had yelled " **STOP** " from where she was on the balcony. She knew they weren't supposed to get married then and she also knew that the bond between Steffy and Liam at the time was much stronger then the bond between her and Liam. But still, she ignored everything she felt was right and did what her mother did and what her mother believed was that Liam did want to marry her on that cliff and the only reason Liam chose Steffy was because of that baby.

What she didn't remember at the time was that when Amber had said that she was pregnant with Liam´s child, Liam had chosen Hope and nothing Amber did made Liam choose to be with her. But when the brunette said that she was pregnant, he put a stop to the wedding neither of them had planned or really wanted at the time and talked to Steffy about it and then decided that he wanted to be with Steffy and their child.

But the moment she'd set foot in Milan, that particular part of her and Liam´s past appeared and she realized that her belief that a man cannot love two such different women equally wasn't holding up and she should have known this because of the triangle she'd grown up in. She knew now that Liam did love her and Steffy equally, the thing was that he loved different thing about each of them.

All of a sudden there's a ding sounding from her computer announcing that someone wants to talk to her through Skype.

"Hi dad! How are things?" Hope smiles as the connection stabilizes.

"Hi Hope! Things are good! How are things in Milan?" Deacon smiles at his daughter, she's looking so much better then when she first came to Milan a year and a half ago.

"Things are good over here too. So what's up?"

"DJ has moved to LA and apparently he and Steffy have been hanging out a lot these last few days. Liam has been deported to New York apparently and Steffy has started looking for her own place. Bill tried to ask if she wanted the house she and Liam lived in before the disastrous trip to Australia. Ivy cheated on Wyatt, was forgiven and then expressed her desire to be with Liam, but would stay with Wyatt if Liam didn't want her. Huge mess which is the reason Steffy broke up with Liam and apparently is very sure about her decision to move on. During these last few years I've never seen her look better or healthier. It was a good decision on her part. Quinn and I are still going strong." Deacon is counting off things on his fingers. "Apparently Wyatt heard your conversation with Liam when you told him about the baby, really Hope? Why didn't you tell Wyatt first?" Deacon is looking kind of angry with her.

"Because I didn't want to be married to Wyatt at the time and the baby put a stop to my plans to leave him." Hope then remembers something her dad said in the beginning of the list. "What do you mean Liam has been deported?!"

"He's been behaving in a way that Bill didn't like and when Wyatt blurted out about hearing your conversation about the baby, Bill put a definite on his plans to send him to New York. He wouldn't accept that Steffy had dumped him because of his own behavior and when he saw Steffy out on the town with another man, he came to the office and were mumbling and grumbling about it the whole day. Bill had asked Steffy if she wanted him to move Liam to New York after he found out about her ending their relationship and Liam punching Wyatt for no reason, but she told him that he didn't need to send him to New York, she just needed him out of Forrester Creations. Apparently your mother have been placing hooks again and Bill and Katie are now doing a trial separation. Because of this, Bill has sold his shares in Forrester Creations to Steffy, the reasons you have to ask him. But it seems like things are going good at the company at least!"

"Yeah, I know, I'm a part of it. Steffy told me that they're putting Hope for the Future on the back burner while the Men´s line and Intimates take a front seat for a while during the build of the new line. We're not supposed to talk to mom about it though so please don't!" Hope looks sternly into the web cam. "Anyway, I got to go to bed, it's late actually over here."

"Oh, I'll guess you'll come back to LA soon then?" Deacon is excited by the thought of his daughter coming to see them soon. "Good night honey! Take care!"

"You most certainly will! Mom doesn't know about this either so don't tell her!" Hope is getting more excited from her fathers excitement. "Good night dad! You too!"

Both of them log off and then she goes to cancel the plane ticket she booked earlier, after that she goes to bed.

I'm done!

 _January 12th 2016, 8:20 am_

 _Paris, France_

Taylor Hamilton had decided to go back to her maiden name when she moved to Paris this last time. She felt it was time to let go of the past and that meant going back to the beginning and let the time that passed in between stay where it was. It was time for something new and going back to oncology was the way to go.

Right now she was planning how her return to LA was going to go, she was looking for a course or program to update her knowledge in the field and she was having a really big lucky streak. She'd found a few courses as well as two programs and at the moment she was trying to decide which one to take.

When the phone starts ringing she doesn't think that much of it. Her receptionist was almost at the end of her pregnancy, she had about 5 weeks to go so if the baby came it wouldn't be a disaster, so Taylor knew she might go into labor when ever.

It wasn't her receptionist though.

"Hello! Dr Taylor Hamilton here!"

"Hello, I'm calling on behalf of the staff at Morganville Medical Center and we were wondering if maybe you'd like to work with us while we start up our new office in Los Angeles? Become one of the doctors at our new facility? I believe you know the doctor who's going to be the one in charge there. Dr Bridget Forrester?"

"I do know her actually. Could I see the facilities before I decide? I'm thinking of going back to oncology and to do that I need to take some courses." Taylor is perfectly fine in case that wouldn't be possible, but this opportunity is what she was looking for.

"Yeah, that would be perfectly fine. We've been trying to get you to work for us for years, but you seem to have eluded us each time we've tried to get in contact with you. We are very much hopeful that you want to join us as we start our new facility! When can you go and look at the location? I know you are currently residing in Paris, France and it's a long way to Los Angeles."

"I'm going to LA in a couple of weeks to visit family so I can go and check them out during my visit, I belive Dr Forrester is going to LA at the same time? I understand that she already looked at the facilities otherwise I don't think she'd have decided so fast. We'll also be living in the same house while I'm there. She's my former sister in law as well as the ex-wife of my ex-husband. There's a lot of history there. Most of it good though!"

"Oh, you mean you were married to her brother?" The assistant is confused. "When did you marry Rick Forrester?"

"Oh, I've never married Rick Forrester. I married her oldest brother, Ridge Forrester." Taylor laughs a little. "Anyway, it's been years since that took place, I have been engaged to Rick Forrester, but we never married. Now, is it okay if I see the facilities in a couple of weeks?"

"Yes, that should be perfectly fine, I believe we will have come to the end of renovations then, so you'll have a better sense of what it will look like. Now, about the oncology route, we are also searching for an oncology specialist and if you could combine the two we'd have an excellent doctor on our team! I hope you decide to join us!" The excitement can be heard through the phone.

"I've been looking for something different to do so I most definitely will look into it all! I'm supposed to be apart of something that my daughter is starting at her company a little later this year so I'm going to have to take a few hours off during that time. But it won't take long I think."

"Yes, Dr Forrester have explained all of that to us so we know all about it! That shouldn't be a problem as you'd get to decide when you schedule your clients!"

"Oh, okay! I'll get in touch when I have decided what I'm going to do. But I have plans to move back to LA anyway so I'm pretty sure you'll hear a positive respons from me within the next few weeks. I'll be in touch!" Taylor is ready to end the conversation and it seems the woman on the other end is also.

"I hope we hear from you soon! Have a good day!"

"You too!" Taylor then hangs up the phone and goes back to the task at hand.

I'm done!

 _January 12th_

 _Seven hours later_

 _Los Angeles_

Maya Forrester was kind of perfectly content in her life right now, married to the man of her dreams, a baby on the way and a steady job, there was just one thing that she felt fell short of a perfect life.

Her husband should have found them a house of their own by now, he should have started to find a house of their own the moment he moved them out of the Forrester Mansion. This was not the case though, he seemed to be perfectly fine moving in with his mother, but Maya wasn't. She was especially mad at him for selling the apartment eventhough they could probably use it.

So, at the moment she was looking through websites of realestate firms trying to find a house she found atleast somewhat liveable.

Just when Brooke walks through the door she finds it.

"Oh, hi Brooke!" Maya looks up at her mother in law.

"Good morning Maya! What are you doing?" Brooke walks over to where Maya is sitting by the kitchen table looking at her computer.

"I'm searching for a new house and I've found it. It's five houses down actually, so we'll be really close. It's a two story building and it comes with a annex for my parents to live in if they want to, so they don't have to live in a hotel any longer. We have the money for it so we don't have to get a mortage. It looks perfect to me. I mean, we can't live here forever, the baby will be coming soon and I want to have a house of our own to live in by then." Maya scrolls down the page and shows Brooke the pictures.

"It does look wonderful, but I like having you live here with me! With RJ and Hope gone it's been so empty."

"Yeah, I get that, but we are in our late thirties, we need to have a place of our own and with a baby on the way it's even more important. Living with your parents or in laws when you don't need to isn't something I thought I'd do. Ever." Because Maya is turning her head back to the computer screen, she doesn't see the hurt look on Brooke´s face.

"Does Rick know you're doing this?"

"No, but this is something he should have done the moment he sat down after bringing all our stuff here." Maya picks up her phone and calls the realestateagent and sets up a viewing for that afternoon.

I'm done!

When Rick comes home that evening he gets a surprise that he didn't want.

He walks through the door into the kitchen and sees his wife sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of papers in front of her.

"What's that?"

"These are the papers we need to sign in order to by our own house." Maya holds up a pen for him to take.

"Why are we buying a house? I thought we were perfectly fine where we are?" Maya looks at him with a glare in her eyes.

"We're in our late thirties and you want to live with your mother? You want to raise your child in the same house you grew up in with your mother still living here? Or do you want to raise our child in a house that is their childhood home?"

"If I can't live in the Forrester Mansion, you bet I want to live in my childhood home."

"So you're going to fight me on this?" Maya raises her eyebrows and stands up from the chair she was sitting on. "Fine, then you stay here while I take my sister and my parents with me to live in my house with my child and you just stay here and be a momma´s boy for the rest of your life, but don't expect me to give you visitation rights to our baby!"

"Are you seriously blackmailing me about this?"

"No, I'm giving you a choice. It's either this house with your mother or our own house with me and our child. You decide. Now!"

"You'd seriously leave me because I want to stay in my childhood home and take my child with you?"

"And you want to stay in your childhood home for the rest of your life and live with your mother? You and I are married and we're living in the twenty first century, living with your parents when your married, with a child on the way and your over thirty years old. No, I do not want to live in your mothers house for the rest of our marriage or the rest of my life. So, you decide." Maya slams the pen on the stack of papers as she points her finger at him with a glare in her eyes and then she leaves the kitchen to go pack.

Rick´s jaws drop while watching his wife exit the kitchen, he walks over to the table and look over everything.

"No, she wouldn't leave me because of that."

Nicole hears what Rick is saying as she walks through the door.

"Why wouldn't Maya leave you because of what?" She walks over to the freezer and takes out a tub of icecream takes a bowl out of a cupboard, a spoon from one of the drawers and then she walks over to the fridge and takes out the ketchup bottle and the chocolatesauce. As she starts putting the icecream in the bowl, Rick starts talking.

"She has apparently found a house for us, but I'm perfectly content where we are. I don't understand why we have to move." Rick shrugs his shoulders.

"Well, she's about to become a mother and she's living in a house with her mother in law. You seriously thought she'd be okay with this situation for long? I thought you knew her better then that." Nicole takes her bowl after placing everything she used to put stuff in it back to where it should be and walks out the door.

Rick looks the papers over again and sees that she's already signed them.

"I'm gonna call her bluff." He places everything the way it was when she left him in the kitchen and then goes to the bedroom they share, only to find it locked from the inside. He knocks on the door.

"Have you signed it yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well, then you don't come in."

"Oh, come on! I'm your husband!"

"Well, you made your bed, now lay in it! I'm not being unresonable!"

He knocks on the door once more and then he gives up.

"She's right you know." He turns around and sees his mother standing in her doorway. "As much as I want you here, I know you need to live on your own. Besides, the house is on this street, five houses down. It's not that far away, you can come see me everyday!"

Rick looks like he's being betrayed, by his mother no less and then he walks away muttering that nothing is going the way he planned it would.

I'm done!

Ridge and Caroline are laying in the bed in the Master bedroom of the Forrester Mansion, about to fall asleep when there's a movement in Caroline´s belly. Caroline moves Ridge´s hand so he can feel it.

"My boy is going to be a footballplayer isn't he?" Ridge rubs her belly.

"No, soccerplayer. Star of the team!" Caroline gently whispers.

"So, how was your day?"

"It was okay, a little boring now that I've been given maternity leave by my OB. But it'll get better when baby is here."

"Well, noone said you couldn't keep designing. Do that and we'll see what Steffy and I can come up with."

"Yeah, I'll se what happens. This forced vacation could be good for me too."

"Definitely! Take it easy, we don't want anything to happen to that little baby!" Ridge smiles.

"We sure don't want that!"

I'm done!

 _January 13th 2016_

 _Los Angeles_

Steffy Forrester is sitting at her desk when Maya Forrester walks through the door after Steffy has told her to come in.

"Hi! What's going on?" Steffy looks up from the computer to show that she knows Maya is there.

"Well, after we left the Forrester Mansion, I thought that Rick would start looking for our own house, but he hasn't done that. So I did and found the perfect house, Rick didn't think that we should move out of his mothers house so I placed an ultimatum on the table and he still hasn't signed the papers."

"Well well, finally found out who Rick truly is I see? He's such a mama´s boy that you wouldn't believe. You know he shot a man because the man was engaged to his mother? After he fell off the roof he manipulated his mother into thinking he couldn't walk eventhough he had started to walk a week after coming home from the hospital. He also decided to use me to get back at my father for hurting his mother. And this was after Phoebe had died in a car accident where he was driving, yes, Phoebe is the one who placed her foot on the accelerator, but he shouldn't have been driving at all. He should have listened to her rant because he owed her that! I don't really like him that much and with everything that's gone on the last ten years, I really don't care about the issues in his life."

"I didn't know that. But he's not moving out of his mothers house. I've already signed the papers so that house is mine." Maya sighs in frustration. "I thought that when I said that he had to choose between me with our child in a new house or alone and divorced with no contact with our child in his childhood home, he'd choose us. I know that you and I don't get along that well. But thank you for listening eventhough you probably have no interest in it."

"Rick Forrester has always been a mama´s boy and that will never change. If he can't get something, he'll whisper in his mothers ear and she will in turn whisper in his fathers ear and he'll get it. Like that last competition between him, Caroline and Thomas for CEO. Thomas was clearly the better designer, but Brooke whispered in Granddad´s ear or flaunted her underwear and Rick won. Now, I asked you here because I have something I want to try on you." Steffy gets up from behind the desk and presents a bag for Maya to look into.

She pulls out a camisole and shorts set in light lime green with a deep emerald green lace trim on the bottom of the camisole and shorts.

"We're not entirely sure that it's the color we want yet, we're thinking about making the light green a little bit, maybe two shades, darker, but I need to see what it looks like on before deciding. We're also thinking about adding a satin ribbon to go over the elastic holding the camisole together under the bust. So, let me see." Steffy smiles at Maya as she walks out the door.

"I'll see you soon!"

As she's waiting for Maya to come back she's working through the emails in her in box and finds an email from Liam.

" _Hello!_

 _As you may have heard by now I have been sent to New York, the reasons why I don't understand, but I no longer live in Los Angeles._

 _I want you to know that eventhough you have given up on us, I haven't and I intend to fight for us every way that I can._

 _When I come back to LA I will fight for us and our love!_

 _Love always,_

 _Liam"_

Steffy reads the email twice before she throws it in the bin, not even bothering to give him a reply.

There's a knock on the door and Maya walks in after Steffy has said to come in.

"Yeah, no, we're not changing a thing."

As she's talking, Rick walks by the door to her office and seeing his wife doing something he had told her he didn't want her to do is a little to much.

"Well, I thought I said I didn't want you to do Intimates." Maya can hear in his voice that he's not happy.

"And I told you to either sign the house papers or expect divorce papers. Have you signed the house papers yet?" Maya is equally not happy.

"No, I haven't because I don't see why we can't live in my childhood home."

Steffy laughs a little.

"What?" Rick glares.

"Really? You want to live in your mothers house for the rest of your life? The house my father gave Brooke as a wedding gift?" Steffy raises her eyebrows as she's talking.

"No, I want to live in my childhood home." Rick spits back at Steffy.

"Which is the house my father gave your mother as a wedding gift. I believe his name is still on the deed, so if dad wants the house back, he'd just kick you out. Your own house would be a much safer choice. After what your mothers been doing these last few weeks I think I should talk to dad about that actually." Steffy walks over to her desk again and writes something on a piece of paper.

"You wouldn't do that! You can't put my mother and me out on the street. You'd never do that! I don't believe you'd be so evil!" Rick is practically yelling at her now.

"Yeah and I thought that you'd never use me to get back at my father, taunting him behind my back that you'd take me away just like Phoebe was taken away. I never believed you'd do that and I especially didn't want to believe that you'd try to manipulate me into signing the annulment papers that would nullify my marriage that meant everything to me. You have no idea what I'm capable of! Now, I think you should listen to your wife and save your mother from being homeless." Maya´s mouth is dropped at the end of Steffy´s rant. "Think about someone other then yourself and your needs!"

"No, I will not sign those papers, I'm perfectly happy where I am and I don't understand why you're not." The first part is directed at Steffy and the second part is directed to Maya.

Steffy picks up the phone and dials her father who picks up after three rings.

"Hi dad! I was wondering if your name is still on the deed to Brooke´s house?" Steffy waits for her fathers reply. "Oh it is? Well isn't that good news. I think you should sell that house or make Brooke pay rent. Brooke will probably not want to rent the house, but that doesn't matter."

Steffy is looking Rick straight into the eyes.

"Yes. Mhmm. Okay. I'll talk to the real estate agent that helped Maya find her house. Yeah, no, I have my reasons."

Her conversation with her father has the desired effect because Rick stomps out of her office.

"Hey dad. We're only trying to get Rick to sign the papers to buy the house Maya has found, if he does, we're not putting it on the market. If he doesn't, Brooke and Rick will have to find another house. If RJ ever comes home he'll live with you and Caroline in Grandma´s house. If my suspicion is what's going on, Brooke won't need that house anyway. But if it's not, then she doesn't need to have that house anyway. She needs to understand that her actions have concequences. She should have realized that the first time she slept with her daughters husband. Now, I need to get back to the fitting I have at hand. The green camisole-set looks great, I don't think we need to change it at all. I'll talk to you later."

"I had no idea you could be like that!" Maya is impressed. "What do you mean your suspicion?"

"Well, now that I don't have this cloud of must impress Liam hanging over my head I can go back to being the person I was before Liam, no actually, not before Liam. Before Bill actually. Like the person I was when I got the company back from Bill." Steffy smiles. "Don't be surprised if Rick ran straight to his mothers place and told on me. He has this cloud hanging over his head right now and I can't see anyway he wouldn't sign those papers. Otherwise we'll sell that house."

Steffy shakes her head. "I don't want to talk about it until we know for sure, but if it is what I think it is, it's going to affect her future for years to come." She gives a small smile as a couple of tears flows down her cheeks.

"I hope you're right!" There's a sadness in Maya that hadn't been there before. "I never thought I'd loose my husband to a house and his mother. Let's hope it's not what you think then."

"I don't think anyone thinks that's how they're going to loose their marriage. I know he accepted your secret with open arms, but if he seriously chooses his mothers house over you and your family, maybe he's not what you need? Can you please keep it to yourself about my suspicion?"

"We'll see what happens." Maya gives Steffy a reassuring smile. "Of course, there's been to much drama in this family already."

 **AN:**

 **When I stopped to look, I was at 14 pages, so I cut back for the next chapter. R &R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:**

 **Don't own a thing in regards to the show or it's characters.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter 7**

Two weeks later Maya and Rick are in the middle of the process of divorcing, Brooke´s house is on the market and Bridget, Nick, Logan, Jack, Owen and Jackie are on their way back from New York. Taylor is just landing at LAX after getting on a flight from Paris and Brooke does not know what to do.

Taylor walks through the airport to find her bags, she finds them and then she walks towards the doors and she sees someone is there to pick her up.

"Well hello! I didn't think you'd be the one to pick me up!" Taylor flashes a smile.

"Hello to you too! Well, I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible and what better way to get you alone then coming to the airport and drive you to where ever you need to go!" Bill explains.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" They're walking towards his car as she asks the question.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I treated you during the whole 'Brooke was pregnant with my baby'-saga. I've realized that I'm the one that was wrong and I'm the one who should take responsibility for it. I'm the one that was married and I'm the one who lied. Brooke and I should have been honest when Katie asked if there was something going on between us. What ever that was, it sure isn't something that I want. The feeling I do want, but with Brooke? Absolutely not!" Bill looks guilty. "I also wanted to say sorry for making your daughter into something she never should have been and for not having the balls to tell my wife that I didn't want to stay in the marriage. I'm so sorry for hurting your daughter the way I did and I'm sorry for the animosity and anger that I felt towards you for outing us like that. I wasn't thinking straight at the time."

"Yeah, I get that, there's not a Forrester male that hasn't stuck up for Brooke Logan like that before, I've been there before many times. Most of them having been married at the time. That's nothing new. Brooke is like a virus that infects you and then your brain doesn't work like it should for some time after that." Taylor sits down in the passanger seat of Bill´s car while Bill puts her luggage in the trunk of the car. "Thorne got through it though. Maybe you should talk to him about this. I understand that you are sorry, but what are you planning on doing with the rest of your life to make up for it? Especially when it comes to my daughter and Katie."

"Well, you know that I sold my shares in Forrester Creations to your daughter and I plan on making this separation from Katie go as smoothly as possible. I don't really know what will happen, but hopefully we'll all end up happy with the end result."

Taylor looks at Bill with a slight frown on her face.

I'm done!

Brooke walks through the door of the CEO´s office with smoke coming out of her nostrils. She stands in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

"How dare you put me out on the street like that? What am I supposed to do now? What about your son? Where is he going to live?" Anger is present in her eyes.

"Well, I have not put you out on the street what so ever. You can blame your son for that, all he had to do was sign those papers and choose his wife and child over the house. Since he didn't and because of your behavior I have decided to decrease my property ownership and that house was the perfect candidate. If anything you should blame your son for everything that has happened these last few years."

"What are you saying?"

"Rick got an ultimatum from your soon to be ex-daughter in law and my daughter two weeks ago. Either he signs the papers for the house Maya found for them and you get to stay in the house with a stipulation that you need to start paying rent or he doesn't and we sell the house. It's simple really. I believe the last thing Steffy told him before he stormed off was that he should think about someone else instead of himself for once. The end result is that he's going through a divorce and has to find a place of his own anyway, when he could have lived in a house five doors down from you with his wife and daughter. All he had to do was sign those papers and buy a house with his wife." Ridge still hasn't looked up from the computer which he alternates looking at with a piece of paper on his desk.

Brooke looks like she's just been smacked right in the chest with a fist. Her signature one eyed tear starts falling down her face and then she turns around and runs out of Ridge´s office. Just as she flies out the door he looks up and he just sinks back into his chair with a sigh.

I'm done!

Bill dropped her off at the house she had shared with Nick while they were married and she took the keys out of her purse. She places the key in the lock and walks through the door and memories washes over her. Tears starts gently flowing down her eyes as she starts removing the furniture covers. When she gets to the couch she sits down and looks at the spot where they first kissed and then turns her head a little to the place they played strip poker and she dominated him completely.

She's so deeply in her memories that she doesn't hear the door open again two hours later, letting a little boy inside with his father following close behind. The boy stops frozen in his tracks when he sees the woman sitting on the couch and his father almost walks right into him.

"Hey Jack, why did you..." As he's talking he looks into the house and sees the woman sitting on the couch as well. "Taylor..." He can feel his heart skip a beat in a way it hasn't since he last saw her before she fled to Paris after giving him Jack´s medical records. He knew she'd been in LA a few times since he left for New York and that she'd been in New York for a quick visit two years ago for a guest appearance during a conference and he had wanted to see her, but she managed to go back to Paris before he found out what hotel she was staying at.

Taylor still hasn't noticed that she's not the only one in the house and Nick has frozen into place. Jack however unfreezes and walks over to the woman who carried him for 8 and a half months. He stands in front of her and touches her hand. Her head jolts up and she's confused.

"Hi mom!" Jack almost whispers as he's talking and Taylor´s frown turns upside down.

"Hi Jack! How are you doing? Where is your father?" She reaches for him and pulls him into a hug.

"I'm good, that plane ride was awesome! Dad's over there!" He squirms his way out of Taylor´s arms and points to where his father is standing.

She turns around and as she locks eyes with Nick both of them feels their heart constrict. She gets off the couch and walks over to Nick and gives him a hug.

"Hi Nick! How are you?" She looks down on her hands as she's talking and when he's about to answer she looks up into his eyes again.

"Hi Taylor! I'm good, how are you? How's Thorne doing?"

"I'm good, Thorne on the other hand not so much. This Memories campaign is probably what's got him walking upright right now. It's so hard for him to be here that he's not coming until the photo shoots are to take place and even then he'll only stay for those and blitz his way back to Paris as soon as he can. He doesn't feel like there's something for him here anymore." There are small tears trickling Taylor´s cheek as she finished talking.

Nick pulls her back into his arms for a comforting hug.

"I'm so sorry! It must have been horrible for him to loose his daughter on the same road that his wife was hit on." Taylor recoils back at the end of his statement.

"Can we please not talk about that?" Nick just nods his head and brings her back in.

Jack just watches the two people who were supposed to raise him together with a sad smile.

A few minutes later, another little boy runs through the door and manages to crash right into Nick and Taylor as they stand there with tears still streaming down Taylor´s cheek. Bridget comes walking up behind him and when she watches the scene unfolding in front of her she comes to a realization.

"Oh, and who might this little boy be?" Taylor wipes the tears from her cheeks then bends down to take a good look at the little boy that fell down on the floor after running into them.

She manages to start talking just before the tears starts flowing down his cheeks thus causing him to concentrate on something other than the bruise that is more likely forming on his little behind.

"I'm Logan!"

"No, I don't believe you! Logan is only a little bitty baby!" Taylor is playing around with the little boy.

"Nah, ah, I'm not a little boy. Im a big boy. Who ar you?" He has now managed to pick himself off the floor.

"I'm Taylor! Where is your mommy?" Bridget chooses this moment to make her presence known by knocking on the door. Taylor instantly gives a big smile. "Hi Bridget!"

Bridget walks over and brings Taylor into a big hug.

"Hi Taylor! I really missed you!" Bridget takes a big breath to inhale the scent that Taylor brings with her everywhere.

"I missed you too! Last time I saw you Logan was still in New York with Owen and Jackie. I wished it could have been under better circumstances though. Your mother wanting your father to claim her unborn child as his while he's with me and the baby´s real father is married to your aunt really wasn't the best time to come by for a visit." Taylor places Bridget at arms length as she's talking to her. "You're looking good though. New York has been treating you well!"

"I'd like to say the same about you and Paris. Have you seen your kids yet?"

"Just Jack, Steffy and Thomas doesn't know I'm here already, they think I'm coming tomorrow. Steffy does know that you're here though!" Bridget get´s this little glint in her eyes.

"Maybe I should call Steffy and ask her to come over and bring Thomas with her?"

"Oh, could you please?" The little glint in Bridget´s eyes multiplying into Taylor´s eyes.

So Bridget walks away and makes a call.

I'm done!

When Steffy gets the call she's in a meeting with Quinn, Ridge and DJ.

"I got to take this!" Steffy looks up from the phone in her hand and then she walks away for a little bit. A few minutes later she walks back through he door of her fathers office while replying to a text and starts talking as soon as she walks through the door.

"Yeah, so, a few packages have been dropped off that I need to take care of. I'll be back in a few hours. I think the three of you know enough about Memories and what I want that you can work this out in the best way possible." She looks up from her phone and sees Ridge nodding as he catches the code words for 'they who should not be named'. "Otherwise as I said I will be back in a few hours. Bye!"

Then she walks calmly from the office and when she reaches the parking lot she rushes to her mothers house.

She gets there about an hour later and she stops dead in her tracks when she sees who's there.

"Mom!" Her breath gets caught in her throat and tears threaten to spill over from happiness. "I didn't think you'd be here until tomorrow!"

Then two more surprises walks through the door to the kitchen.

"Uncle Nick!" Steffy rushes over to give him a big hug, but stops dead in her tracks when her little brother walks in behind him. "Jack!"

She bends down and he walks over to give his big sister a hug and Nick´s hug is totally forgotten.

"Hey! What about my hug?" Nick pouts.

"Nah ah, baby brother´s much more important than uncles!" Steffy looks over her shoulder and then she lets Jack go to hug Nick.

"Welcome back to LA! So, are you staying on the boat or here with Bridget, Logan and mom?" Steffy places herself by Nick´s side and looks up at him.

"We're staying here for now, all five of us. Logan and Jack will share Jack´s room for now, I'll sleep in the pool house and Taylor will take the master and Bridget will take the guestroom that has the en suit. I'll feel safer if they all live in the house together, of course I'd rather live with them in the house, but I don't think either of us want to share a room at the moment so I'm sleeping in the pool house. Besides, the pool house is linked directly to the house so technically I am sleeping in the house. Kind of." He trails off at the end looking slightly confused at his own reasoning.

"So where is Jowen?" Steffy looks around.

Her mother is the first one to react.

"Jowen?"

"Yeah, Jackie and Owen, Jowen." Steffy just shrugs her shoulders.

"Oh, yeah, mom and Owen are checking out the apartment."

Bridget gives a nod at this statement.

"Hey, where is Thomas?"

"Was I supposed to bring him?" Steffy looks confused.

"Did you not tell her to get her brother?" Taylor sends a look over at Bridget.

Bridget thinks about it for a minute.

"I don't think I did. I was supposed to tell you though!"

"Okay, let me just call him quick!" Steffy walks away.

At this point in time Logan has woken up from a quick nap and two minutes after that, Steffy comes back.

"Don't be surprised if he comes carrying paint brushes and rollers and roller tins." Steffy chuckles and when she spots Logan an even bigger smile shades her lips. "I told him I forgot to buy those when I got here from the store. You weren't supposed to be getting here until tonight and we were going to help you repaint the house. It's just way to dark for a family with two young boys. It needs to look less like a bachelor pad." Steffy picks her cousin up as she's talking and they eskimo kiss before she sends off a 'no offense'-look towards her uncle. It's apparent that Steffy and Logan have a stronger relationship then either of the other adults knew about. Even Bridget was surprised.

"I totally agree with you! I take it you have a color scheme in mind?" He raises his eye brows.

"Yes, I do! You wanna help me bring in the paint so you can see it?"

"I most certainly do!" Nick answers and they walk out, on the way Steffy turns back around.

"After getting the paint, I need to go back to the office for an hour or so to get some things taken care of. I left in the middle of a meeting with Quinn, dad and DJ."

All three of the other adults nod their heads.

While they are out taking the paint in, Thomas comes driving in his car. He parks it next to his sisters car.

"Hey! I thought you were here alone, who's that?" Thomas still hasn't figured it out that it's Nick.

"You know, I kind of feel insulted, first your sister ignores me in favor of your brother and now you don't even recognize me." Nick almost bangs his head against the trunk as he pulls out of it.

"Uncle Nick!" Thomas walks up to him and gives him a big hug.

"See, your brother is a much better hugger then you are Steffy!" Steffy just laughs at him.

"Yeah, right. Can you guys take this inside and I'll just go back to work real quick to see what´s happened?"

"Hey, you don't need to do that. Dad called me after trying to get a hold of you. He said to tell you that they decided to put the meeting on hold until tomorrow afternoon so that you'd get to help paint the house, at least the primer!" Thomas lets his sister know the plan.

"Okay! I don't have to worry about that then. You got the stuff?"

"Yes, I do and I've also got food!" All the paint have now been taken to the front porch and they walk over to Thomas car and take the groceries and the painting supplies to the front door.

Steffy rings the door bell and Bridget comes to help them.

"Hi Thomas!" Bridget is very happy to see her oldest nephew.

"Hi Bridget! How are you? Where's Logan? I didn't know you were coming?" Thomas looks at his sister with confusion on his face. "I thought we were painting the house in preparation for mom coming home?"

"Yeah, we didn't tell anyone else that Bridget and her crew were coming other then mom because they would be staying with her when we found out because Bridget didn't want granddad and Brooke to find out and you can guess why Bridget didn't want Brooke to find out." Steffy pointedly looked at Nick.

"Yeah, I guess so. Does Brooke know that Hope is part of the modeling crew for Memories?" Thomas questions.

"No, Brooke doesn't know anything about Memories at all, neither does Rick. There's no need for them to know. It's bad enough that they know that Maya and Sasha is modeling Intimates and that we're bringing the Men's line back. That's all they need to know and with Rick and Maya getting divorced there's even less for him to know. " Steffy says with determined sadness.

I'm done!

The next day sees Steffy coming to work with paint still in her hair, she had tried to get it out the day before, but it just wouldn't come out. So when Quinn and DJ walk through the door in time for their meeting they burst out laughing.

"Well, I hope some of the paint ended up on the wall?" Curious laughter evident in DJ´s voice.

"Did you and your brother end up in a paint fight?" Quinn asks with glee in her voice.

Through out Steffy´s beautiful black hair with a blue undertone were little specks of light pink, minty green and baby blue paint.

"Kind of." Not wanting to tell the truth just yet. But the memory brings forth a big smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.

"So, when is Ridge getting here?"

"He and Caroline should be coming back from their next to last ultrasound in just a few minutes." As if on cue there's a knock on the door. "Come in!"

In walks the two parents to be.

"So? How´s Baby boy Forrester?" Steffy raises her eyebrows.

"Baby boy Forrester is doing just fine, growing as he should."

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

Caroline´s eyes starts to sparkle.

"I have, your dad on the other hand doesn't agree with me."

"Well then? What is it that you've chosen?"

"Promise me you won't be upset." Caroline says with a small voice and Steffy promises.

"I've chosen Douglas Spencer Hamilton Forrester. I know you want to name your child Hamilton, Steffy and you still can as he will have Douglas as his chosen first name."

"Me and Liam had chosen to name our first boy Hamilton Ridge William Spencer, but since that's not happening anymore I couldn't think of a better boy to have it." Steffy doesn't notice the smile on DJ´s face, but Ridge and Quinn do and they can see the wheels turning in his head and this makes both of them smile. "But why would you name him Hamilton? It's my mother´s maiden name."

Caroline becomes really happy that Steffy allowed them to use it.

"Well, Taylor is one of the few women other then my mothers who I admire without words and therefore I'd like to honor her because of that. Stephanie and my moms are already in the name with Spencer and Bridget is in there with Forrester at the end and since many of the last names in this family can also be used as first names, it was a pretty easy way to fit them in." Caroline laughs a little.

"Why didn't dad like the name?" Steffy looks to her father for answers.

"I didn't know how you'd feel about us using the name, but since you've given us the go ahead, I don't see a reason we can't name him that." Ridge walks over to his daughter and gives her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. "Uhm, why are there specks of paint all over your hair?"

"Well, you remember the packages I talk to you about yesterday?"

"Yes, you said a few of them had arrived?"

Steffy just looks her father in the eyes.

"They're all here?"

Steffy nods her head.

"Well then, we'll go see them after the meeting."

Caroline just looks confused.

"What packages?"

Ridge gives a smile.

"You'll see!"

"Can we come and see them too?" Quinn moves her gaze between Steffy and Ridge. Because Quinn knows that Bridget was coming back to LA that week, she wanted to meet the woman her husband used to be married to.

Both Ridge and Steffy shrugs their shoulders and says "Sure, why not!" almost together.

"So, did you talk about anything other then what we talked about yesterday?" Steffy puts on her professional 'now we work'-mask.

"No, we just decided to postpone the meeting until today so that you could get the painting done." Steffy nods her head.

Then the meeting progresses.

I'm done!

Meanwhile, Taylor and Bridget are looking at the facilities for the new Morganville Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"This is absolutely beautiful and it's not even finished yet!" Taylor bursts out as they finish the tour. "You can tell the people you work for that I'd gladly take the job offer and that I have found two courses that I think will help with the oncology-part of my training. I will be taking those before I start though so I won't be able to begin until early next year. I'm starting the first one in a couple of weeks and it ends in August and the other one starts just after the first one ends. I think I have a week maybe."

Bridget has a big smile.

"Maybe you can take on a few clients just for the income while you study? Do you know when the classes are?"

"For the first one they're all early mornings, so I could schedule clients for the afternoon during those days maybe." The wheels are turning in Taylor´s head. "Yeah, I could probably do that. I was going to be able to set my own schedule when it comes to my client-meetings."

Taylor nods and then she looks towards Bridget.

"Will you be looking for your own place or will you be staying with me for a while? I'm not telling you that I want you gone, I just want to know so that I can plan ahead."

"If you want to then Logan and I can stay until you're done with your classes so that you have that extra income as well as you not having to live in that big house on your own and then we'll start looking when you get closer to completing your courses?" Bridget offers as a compromise.

"That would be good, I'll accept that offer!" Taylor reaches out with her hand to shake Bridget´s. "Let's go home get the food ready for our guests."

I'm done!

Steffy had sent a message her mothers way informing her that they'd be visiting in two hours or so when the meeting is over and that was about three quarters of the way through the showing of the facilities. It was now about fifteen minutes left until their guests were arriving and both Bridget and Taylor were a little bit nervous.

Bridget hadn't met Caroline ever and when Taylor last saw Caroline, she and Thomas had just broken up and now Caroline was married to Taylor´s ex-husband and the father of three of her four children and Caroline was also pregnant by said man. However, Taylor could not be more happy for her former husband than she was right now.

There's a knock on the door and Bridget goes to open it.

Both Jack and Logan are at school today for a few hours to get to know their classmates and the teachers of their respective classes.

On the other side of the door a pregnant Caroline is shaking.

"There's no need to worry, Caroline. You know that mom likes you, she wouldn't have wanted you with Thomas other wise." Steffy points out.

"Well, I'm not with her son though am I?"

"No, but you're not with Thomas´s competition either and all mom has wanted since she and dad got divorced was for dad to be happy and content, and you are the one who has given him that so you just relax. And remember, you are naming your baby boy after her!" Steffy gives a pointed look.

"Well hello you two...Uhm. Five?" Bridget stares a little at the people on the other side of the door.

"Hello!" Caroline, Ridge, Quinn and DJ all say.

"Yeah, uhm, sorry about that. Quinn and DJ wanted to come. I'm pretty sure Deacon and Wyatt would've come too had they had the ability to, but they had things to do at work."

"No worries at all!" Bridget is still a little surprised.

Ridge had walked through the door and into his ex-wives arms.

" _Are you happy?"_ Taylor whispers into his ears in disguise of the hug and she feels him nodding his head. _"Good! Don't break her heart!"_

"I won't, I promise! This is it for me. No more chasing around after women. Caroline has something to tell you though." Ridge gives one of his most famous smiles.

"Really? What might that be?" Taylor´s eyes wander from the man she's currently hugging to said man´s wife as she speaks.

"Well, uhm..." Caroline is fidgeting at the hem of the shirt she's wearing. "We wanted to name our little boy Douglas Spencer Hamilton Forrester to honor his grandmothers, his father and you because you are some of the people I admire the most in this world."

Taylor steps out of Ridge´s embrace and opens up her arms for the pregnant woman.

"I'd be honored! I'm guessing you've already talked to Steffy about this?" She feels Caroline nod and sees her daughter do the same. "Good!"

"We'd also like to ask Nick and Bridget if they'd be one of the sets of the baby´s god parents? Bill and Taylor are the other set."

At this three mouths drops in surprise.

"Are you sure?" All three asks.

"Yes, we are sure. Bill is a Spencer like me, Nick is a Marone like Ridge, Bridget and Taylor are women we both admire greatly. We know the four of you will raise our baby right if it should come to that. Hopefully it won't though. We'd also like to know if you'd consider being the god parents if we have more kids?"

Both Taylor and Bridget nods their heads even though they are quite surprised. Nick just stares at Ridge with bewilderment in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" Nick stares at his brother.

"Yes. I'm sure." Ridge says determined.

"Okay, I'll do it. You just make sure I'll never have to!"

"So, I hear my daughter has ordered food for this excursion?" Ridge exclaims and everyone just laughs a little.

They all go to sit down at the table and start loading up food on their plates. Then Nick remembers something.

"Hey Bridget!" He gets her attention. "When were we supposed to pick up the boys?"

Bridget looks around to find a clock.

"Oh crap. It's two minutes left till then." Bridget rushes out of the front door picking up her keys as she goes, then a few seconds after they hear a massive groan and she comes back in. "Ridge, your car is in the way!"

"I'll drive!" Ridge rushes out of his chair as well and leaves while catching the keys after Caroline threw them after she picked them up from her purse.

Then they hear them roar out of the driveway.

Everyone starts laughing.

"I don't think I've seen Ridge walk that fast since RJ was little!" Taylor says.

"Well, he's practicing!" Steffy says which causing everyone to laugh even harder.

"Should we wait for them to come back to eat?" Quinn asks.

"Yeah, then we'll have two more at the table!" Steffy smiles.

"So, DJ, I hear my daughter was blackmailed into a date with you a few weeks ago!" Taylor smirks and chuckles when she sees the looks on the people mentioned´s faces.

"Are you telling me you only went out with me that day because someone blackmailed you into it?" He says acting like he didn't know this little fact making Taylor think he doesn't know about it.

Steffy decides to play the game he's started and play one herself.

"Well, yeah, did you really think I'd go out with Hope's half brother without being blackmailed when you consider what happened the last time I did that?" DJ had seen the glint in her eye though and he knows she's playing with him.

"Well, of course you would. I'm not a Forrester for one!" At this both DJ and Steffy starts laughing at the look on Taylor´s face. "Yes, of course I knew about the blackmail. It was the first thing she said when she called me after her dad sent her home with strict orders not to come back until after spending the day with me."

He smirks at Taylor with a gotcha-look combined with it. Steffy just chuckles. Quinn just sits there shocked.

"Well, I must say that I really like this Steffy more then the Steffy that was together with Liam." Quinn is very impressed with the progress that Steffy has achieved during the three weeks DJ has been a part of her life again. Both DJ and Steffy smile at Quinn.

"Well, I like this Steffy more then the Steffy that was together with Liam too!" Steffy says.

DJ agreed and as he does so, two whirlwinds comes through the door and stop at the sight of so many people at the table and when they notice Steffy both of them run straight to her and starts telling her about their days.

Quinn leans into DJ.

" _You better make her fall in love with you soon, it would be a shame to rob that woman of motherhood for much longer!"_ Quinn places a hand on his leg and pinches it.

" _I know, but if she doesn't fall in love with me there's nothing I can do. It's really easy to fall for her though!"_ DJ looks into Quinn´s eyes as he's talking.

" _Well, based on the looks she keeps sending you, I'd think she's on her way, but she's scared because she just let go of a love that's taken almost six years of her life and she doesn't want to make someone the rebound guy. I wanted her and Wyatt´s friendship to evolve into something more, but after watching the two of you with each other, there's no way Wyatt would even be an option."_ Quinn places her head on DJ´s shoulder.

"Well aren't the two of you secretive over there!" Steffy says with laughter in her voice.

"Yeah, we're planning DJ´s take over of your heart!" Quinn says with equal amount of laughter in her voice causing Steffy to turn a bright red color as she's blushing causing her to look down on the table.

This causes the whole table to burst out laughing.

As Taylor is sitting closest to her daughter she hears her mutter something that catches her interest.

"Hey DJ! Can you help me fix up the desert?" Taylor asks.

"Yeah, sure!" DJ is a little confused.

"Ridge, can you clear the table please?" Taylor looks to her ex-husband telling him with her eyes that they need to talk.

"Yeah, I can do that!" He clears the table and walks in on Taylor and DJ as he's taking down plates and Taylor is whipping cream.

" _What did you want to talk about?"_ Ridge whispers so only Taylor and DJ hears.

" _The phrase there's not much he needs to do though as he's close!"_ Her statement catches both men by surprise. " _What this means is that if you do **not** want our daughter to fall in love with you, you leave her alone, but if you do, you have my blessing at least!"_

Ridge looks into the eyes of his former wife.

" _You have mine too!"_ Ridge says with pride in his voice. _"I knew you were a good choice for my daughter!"_

" _Are you in love with her?"_ Taylor feels like she has to ask this question.

" _Since before we left when I was six, I think she was five at the time!"_ Ridge places his hands on DJ´s shoulders.

" _If it goes the way you want it to, I want to welcome you to the family!"_ Then he pulls him into a hug.

As they leave through the door of the kitchen Quinn can see that what ever had happened in the kitchen, it had been positive. DJ turns to her with a big smile on his lips.

" _I've been blessed!"_

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **That was a good place to stop wasn't it?**

 **Please review if you have the time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:**

 **A thing that I have noticed these last few months since I started writing 'I'm done', 'Things happen' and 'Goodbye to yesterday' is that it's so hard to write stories about the same people when totally different things happen in different parts of the history of the show. It's just weird. You have one where Steffy comes back from Paris almost nine months pregnant and Lope has gotten married, one where Steffy stayed home during Lope´s wedding in Italy and then you have this one, the one where Steffy had enough of Liam´s waffling after his trip to Australia that she left him. I'm not complaining, I've done this to myself all by myself.**

 **If you have seen this next section before, that's cause it's been used before in some chapters of my other stories:**

 _ **Since starting this chapter, I have changed the operating system on my computer and as such has had to install the program I write in again and as this is a newer version of the old one, it does not behave the way I'm used to, the spellcheck feature for example doesn't work and because of that reason I don't know if everything is spelled the way it's supposed to be.**_

 **As always I do not own a thing when it comes to the show.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter eight**

February 27th 2016

Los Angeles

They had been able to keep it under wraps that Bridget, Jackie, Owen, Nick, Logan and Jack were back in LA for almost a month, not even Rick, who had taken over the apartment, knew and they had managed to miss each other constantly.

For Bridget, Logan, Taylor, Nick and Jack a routine had manifested itself and life was working fantastic. The renovations of the new Medical Center were almost done, one last coat of paint, then clean up and putting all the equipment in as well as furniture and stuff.

At Forrester Creations the Intimates line was in full production, Memories were moving along, the Men´s line was selling almost by the bulk it was immensely popular among their clientele and had been added as an official line at Forrester Creations since the first week after it was launched at a very successful party at the Forrester Mansion, where it had been introduced as well as the relaunch of Intimates and a teaser of Memories.

Brooke and Rick still didn't know about Memories, Maya, Nicole, Zende as well as Maya and Nicole´s parents had moved to the new house two weeks after the bid on the house had been accepted. The house that Brooke had been living in had also been sold and then a portion of the money for that sale had been put in a college fund for RJ, the rest had been put into Forrester Creations to help start a office in New York that they had decided that Rick would be in charge of and since he and Maya had signed their divorce papers, he had no reason to stay in LA and as he still believed that Bridget was still living in New York, he thought it might be good to move to New York and start his life over there.

Thorne had gotten his job back as the one in charge of Forrester International in Paris and he was happy about that and Ridge, Steffy and Thomas had decided that he'd never have to worry about it anymore. He had that job as long as he wanted to have it.

Maya and Nicole had found out that the baby Nicole was carrying was a girl and they had decided to name the baby Vivienne Julie Nicole Avant and they were going to share custody of the baby. Rick had signed away his rights to the baby as he was going to be living in New York indefinitely, this decision Brooke wasn't to happy with, because this was her granddaughter and her son had decided to sign away his right to a baby he had wanted his whole life and she didn't understand how he could just throw that away. Her soon to be former daughter in law was leaving her son because he didn't want to move and in not wanting to move, he'd thrown away his marriage and the baby and he'd been thrown away to New York.

Caroline had been having Braxton Hicks-contractions for the last week so the whole family was aware that Baby Forrester was almost done cooking, but there was a few more weeks to go though.

I'm done!

At the moment, Caroline was sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen of the Forrester Mansion with a design sheet in front of her that had been left there by her stepdaughter after she had left in a hurry just after breakfast. She looks up as her husband walks through the door. He walks over and kisses her on the top of her head.

"Good morning! What are you looking at?" He places his right hand on her right shoulder and looks at the design sheet over her left shoulder while she presses her cheek into his.

"Steffy left this here this morning, I don't think she meant to." They both look at the design sheet and sees a rough sketch of a perfume bottle.

"That's quite beautiful actually. She must have had this idea for way longer then we even knew." Caroline turns her head so she looks Ridge in the eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it takes us months of planning to just get a concept for the designs for the next collection and she's been thinking about it by herself." Ridge is surprised at this because he hasn't noticed that his daughter had been thinking about this for as long as she had. "I wonder when she's been planning this."

"I think she's been planning since before she came back from Paris, Aly dying just sped things up. You know Steffy wouldn't want to present something that wasn't thought out and researched. She saw a nitch that wasn't occupied and went for it. It's a great plan and concept. You just need to help her realize her vision."

"Maybe it's time we restart the Forrester Boutique´s again. It didn't do that well the first time, but maybe with Memories there would be a wider circle of clients that would buy our clothes because they are more ready to wear as opposed to the Couture gowns we had in those stores before." Caroline nods at the suggestion.

"That's a good idea. " She kisses his cheek and then goes back to her breakfast as he starts walking out the door.

I'm done!

Steffy had managed to get herself all the way to the office when she realized she had left the sketch at home, so she turned and started walking back to her car and as she left the building, Brooke Logan was walking towards her.

"Well, I sure hope you're happy right now!" Brooke sneers as she walks by.

"I sure am. You're out of the company and without a man by your side, Katie and Bill are working their way towards a friendly relationship for the sake of their son, Caroline and dad are so in love, Deacon and Quinn are blissfully happy, Rick is on his way to New York and I'm on my way into a beautiful relationship with a man that actually supports me. The people I have chosen to have around me are happy. Oh, and I own 37.5% of Forrester Creations. Now, excuse me, I have to go back home to collect something."

"And what exactly did you do to get Bill´s shares of the company if I may ask?" Brooke smirks.

"I gave him a reality check and it made him think about his life. He decided that he didn't want the shares in the company anymore and therefore he sold me those shares." Brooke rolls her eyes. "What? You thought I slept with him or something?"

"Yeah, I do. I really don't see any other reason for him to give you those shares!"

"But he **didn't** give me those shares. I **bought** them from him with my **own** money. Money that I have earned working for Forrester Creations." Steffy never breaks eye contact. "Shouldn't you be thinking about moving to New York with the Golden boy and spread your legs for the men of New York? If I remember correctly, doesn't your youngest live in New York as well? You know the one you threw away after getting my mom and Nick to split up?"

"What do you mean? RJ is away at boarding school and not in New York."

"You seriously don't remember the havoc you caused my mother when you decided that you needed to give her fiance a child? What is wrong with you? Maybe you need to get yourself checked out!" Steffy points her finger at her. "I really can't believe that you don't realize that most of the hurt this family has been through is because of actions done by you! You really don't see that you are the problem."

"What do you mean I decided to give your mothers fiance a child? I don't understand what you're talking about." Brooke looks so confused.

"You decided to give my mothers fiance a child when you found out they were trying for a baby because you couldn't stand her being happy with your fall back guy because you decided that you couldn't be with my father after he punched your son for being in bed with my sister!" Steffy starts walking away. "I need to go home now. Bye!"

"Fine, I'm here to see your father anyway!" Brooke starts walking towards the building again.

"He's not here, it's his day off. He and Caroline are going to their final ultrasound today to make sure she and baby are doing okej for when the baby comes in a few weeks."

"Aren't you doing this whole relaunch thing soon? Is it really a good time to have a day off right now?"

"We are and he had both mine and granddad´s approval to take the day off. We've got it all under control and right now that baby is more important. Both lines are already in production and we've got stock left from before." Steffy starts walking backwards. "You don't need to talk to my father about anything. You just focus on finding yourself a place to live or find someone to help you move to New York to be around your son. He'll need you there when he gets there. We're putting a lot of faith in him and he really needs to prove himself!"

Then she just walks away and doesn't even acknowledge that Brooke is calling out after her and because she has her back turned to Brooke, she doesn't see the expression on Brooke´s face. But if you were looking, you could almost see the smoke coming out of her ears.

I'm done!

Steffy opens the door to her fathers childhood home and walks into the kitchen to find the sketch. Caroline is currently loading the dish washer and she can see the moment Steffy walks through the door that something is not right. Her mood has changed dramatically since she left for work.

"Oh no. What's wrong?" The moment Steffy looks at Caroline, she knows what happened. "You had a run in with Brooke I take it?"

"Yes. She was at Forrester looking for dad and we had a conversation. It's like years have vanished from her memory and I just don't know what's wrong. If I bring it up, they're going to believe I'm just trying to create a problem that isn't there. Bridget hasn't talked to her mother since Brooke tried to lure Bill´s baby onto my granddad. But they need to get that woman checked out." The sadness oozing out of Steffy´s pores. Caroline could tell that she really didn't want what she thought was happening to be happening.

"There really isn't anything more you can do. You have expressed your concerns and it's up to them now. It's up to her side of the family to make her get checked out." Caroline walks over to her step daughter and gives her a hug.

"Maybe I should talk to Hope anyway. I said when I first brought it up to dad that maybe Bridget was the best choice. But I think that maybe I should talk to Hope about it. I think she might have more influence on Brooke. I think I should talk to Bridget about me talking to Hope first though so that she doesn't feel I'm going behind her back."A big question mark seems visible on Steffy´s face.

"Yeah, you should probably do that." Caroline gives a nod in agreement.

"I'll talk to her on the way to work. Did you see a design sheet laying on the breakfast bar when you came down?" Steffy starts looking for what she came home for.

"You mean the one with the gorgeous perfume bottle?" Caroline raises her eyebrows as she starts taking things out of the cupboards to make cookies. Steffy stops in her quest.

"Yeah? That one?"

"Yeah, I have. It's a beautiful design. Your dad had an idea when he saw it so he took off for the office for an hour or so to check on some things before coming back and get me to go to the ultrasound. He should be back in an half hour or so."

"Okay. I have a meeting with some manufacturers and I need that design sheet and to top it off, I'm running late."

"Well then, you just head off then, I put it on the table next to the front door because I thought you needed it. Ridge thought about taking it with him, but I told him you were probably on your way back so he left without it because you didn't know he was coming to work."

Caroline had been part of the steps to getting the perfume and make up part of Memories on it's way because she was going to be modeling the make up and she's the CEO´s wife.

Steffy walks over and gives Caroline a hug.

"I'll see you later!" Then she's off. Caroline sends a text to Ridge saying that Steffy had a conversation with Brooke and it ruined Steffy´s good mood from this morning and that she was going to talk to Bridget about talking to Hope.

I'm done!

As Bridget is about to start putting together her lunch for the day, her phone rings and looking at it she sees that it's Steffy that's calling her.

"Hi Steffy! What's up?"

"Hi Bridget! I just had a conversation with your mother an hour or so ago and I just wanted to let you know that I'm really worried about her and I thought I'd let you know that I'm planning on talking to Hope about the issue I brought up to you over a month ago. I wanted to let you know that I was doing this so that there's no confusion about it."

"I told you that it's probably nothing to worry about. She's just confused."

" _ **Bridget!**_ She doesn't even remember Jack or the circumstances surrounding his birth. She doesn't remember getting tested to see if she could get pregnant in order to give Nick the child he's always wanted when he was with my mother." She goes a little deeper into what she and Brooke talked about.

"I really don't think there's a problem though. You need to calm down and let me deal with it."

"Fine. Then you talk to your sister and make sure that Brooke is tested. Because this is getting ridiculous. She needs help. She's still blaming me and my dad for the house being sold after we told her over and over again that the only one she should blame is her son. All he had to do was sign the papers, buy the house with Maya and live there with her and their daughter. Now he's getting a divorce and leaving for New York without his rights to the baby." She can hear Bridget scoff over the phone. "Seriously? You think we wanted to put Brooke on the streets? We gave Rick an ultimatum that would need him to focus on someone else other then himself and what did he do? He thought we were bluffing so we showed him just how serious we are. We didn't want to do this, but he forced us to. All he had to do was choose his wife and move to a house just five houses down from his mother and his mother would've still had her house."

"Yeah, right. That. Sorry."

"You need to talk to your sister and come up with a plan. I have to go now because I have a meeting. I'll talk to you later!" Steffy hangs up after Bridget says bye.

About half an hour later, Bridget is sitting at the dinner table and she hasn't moved yet. Nick walks through the door leading to the pool house and sees the confusion on his ex-wife´s face.

"Hey! What's wrong?" He walks over and sits down opposite Bridget.

"Steffy just called a few minutes ago with a few news I really don't like very much."

"Does it have to do with the line or something?" Bridget shakes her head. "Family?" She nods. "Your siblings?"

"Kind of. I'm going to have to talk to Hope about it, because I can't do it on my own. I think I've been living in denial for to long. But the thing Steffy wanted to talk to me about made it more real."

"Okej, so, what's wrong?" Nick is confused.

"Steffy thinks that my mother might be displaying early signs of Alzheimer´s. There's been a few conversations between her and my mother that has lead her to believe that there's something wrong with my mother and what she said just now makes me think so to, I mean, what other reason could there be to not remembering your own child?" Devastation all over Bridget´s face.

"I'm sorry what?"

"Steffy asked my mother if she remembered that her youngest child still lived in New York, you know she's supposed to think that we're still in New York, and my mother apparently said that her youngest is at boarding school and that the school is not located in New York, so she didn't know what Steffy was talking about. I don't know what would have happened had she brought up Logan. Mom seems to think that Deacon and I weren't married when Hope was born, she believes that Eric wasn't married when they had Rick and she does not believe that Bill was married to my aunt Katie when their affair happened and she has supposedly told him that she's in love with him still and that he's not married to Katie this time either. She believes him to be a free man." To say Nick is shocked hearing these news is an understatement.

"Well, maybe you should take Steffy´s concerns seriously, I mean, it's better to know for certain right now rather than be blindsided later. I think you should call Hope and talk to her about it." He can see Bridget nodding her head.

"Yeah. I suppose I should." She gives a big sigh and then a small smile. "So, when are you going to tell Taylor you're still in love with her? You know you really screwed that up when you told her what you did about only seeing my mother in your heart."

Nick snaps his head up and nods.

"Yeah, I really did. But back then your mother had to much say over my life. I should have remembered what Taylor said when she thanked Brooke for being such a vivid reminder of the insanity we left behind after she came to see me after Sydney. Unfortunately I got pulled back in and I can never tell her exactly how much I regretted that when I left for New York." Nick gives a small smile. "Hey, shouldn't you be heading off to work?"

"Yeah. I am. It just took me by surprise how hard it was coming to grips with the fact that Steffy´s concerns have a foundation for them. She felt like I wasn't taking it seriously and called to tell me that she was going to talk to Hope about it."

"I'm sorry, but last I heard those two didn't have the best relationship."

"Well, that changed when Hope moved to Milan after her miscarriage. She's come to understand that for Steffy it wasn't about fighting Hope, it was about fighting for a relationship she valued and Steffy has since realized that the relationship she thought Liam and her had, wasn't the same on his end and because of that she's dumped him. As far as I know, Liam is fighting for their relationship now, but Steffy is adamant that she's moving on and DJ seems to be a better fit for her then Liam apparently was. I never would've imagined that Ridge would ever allow Steffy to fall for Deacon´s son. But apparently he's seen something in Deacon that Ridge doesn't have a problem with him anymore."

"I think Caroline has had a big influence on Ridge since they got together. He seems less competitive and more of a people-person. He likes to hang out with people now and he's really fun to be around. He wasn't like that when I first came to LA."

"Yeah, I agree with you. The only time I've seen him like this before was before Taylor 'died' the last time. He needs a strong woman who's down to earth to ground him and Caroline is that woman. I really like them together!" Bridget smiles. "Has Taylor left yet?"

"Yeah, I heard her car leaving the driveway about an hour ago. She said something about checking out the library to find the books for the class she's taking this summer and start reading. She'll pick the kids up today. I believe there was something promised about making cookies?" Nick looks at Bridget with a gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah, I seem to be remembering something about that too. So, what are you doing today?"

"I'm going to the office and check out something that dad wanted me to look at. He's concerned again and you know what that means."

Bridget nods her head at the statement.

I'm done!

Taylor was walking around the library at the school she was taking her catch up-classes and searching for the books she needs to read before starting the classes.

"Hey, aren't you a little old to search among books in a college library?" Taylor turns around because she's sure she's heard that voice before and then looks into eyes just like her own. "Aunt Taylor!"

The boy turns around and runs as fast as he can away from her. Taylor just stands there with her tongue caught in her throat and tears slowly falling down her cheeks.

I'm done!

Ridge had gone to the office to look at the numbers to see if they could start reopening the boutiques, he knew he needed to have a meeting with Eric, Quinn and Steffy about it and he needed to be prepared for it. He was so emerged in the numbers that he forgot about the ultrasound and Pam had to remind him when she noticed that the clock started coming way to close to the time where they should be there.

At home, Caroline was getting a little worried, so she calls up the stairs to find out if Thomas is still at home so that he could take her to the ultrasound and she could meet Ridge there and she's in luck.

Thomas bounds down the stairs with an energy that she doesn't think she's ever seen from him before.

"So, I take it Steffy´s date didn't only affect her in a positive manner?" Caroline looks at him with a sheen of joking in her eyes and gives a little giggle.

Thomas waves his arms out and does a little twirl.

"You are so right about that! It's nice seeing Steffy so happy and carefree again. I haven't seen that since before her disasterous engagement to your ex-husband after Phoebe died. Shall we go then and have you sent a text off to dad?" He raises his eyebrows and winks at his stepmother.

"I have, he got totally emerged into the numbers and forgot what today was all about, but he's on his way to the doctors office as we speak! Aunt Pam had to remind him!" Caroline gives a giggle and then they leave the house.

I'm done!

Hope was in the middle of an evening bath when her phone rang. It was a number she wasn't sure she had in her phone and when she answered she was a little surprised.

"Hello! Hope Logan speaking!"

"Hi Hope! It's Bridget! I need to talk to you about something and I don't think it's going to be a topic you'd want to talk about." Bridget takes a big breath in and then breaths out slowly.

"Okej? What's up?" She can hear that Bridget really doesn't want to talk about what they're about to talk about.

"It has been brought to my attention that our mother isn't doing quite so well. It seems like she's forgotten the last few years since Jack was born, or at least some key points in the years since Jack was born and people are concerned. We might need to get her tested for the Alzheimer gene, maybe all of us should get tested?" Bridget can hear Hope sigh on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, I've gotten certain hints dropped my way from Madison and Thomas that mom might not be all there for the moment. I believe Steffy is the one who noticed it first, I take it she's the one you've been talking to?"

"Yeah, today she called to tell me that mom doesn't remember Jack´s conception and what happened back then. Then she told me that if I didn't call and talk to you about it, she'd do it herself because you know she can't talk to Aunt Donna about it, nor can she talk to Katie or Rick about it. Yeah, sure, she can talk to Aunt Katie about it, but if Katie talks to mom or Rick about it, they'll just think that she's causing drama because mom told Bill she's still in love with him. No, this needs to come from us and unfortunately, we can't say that Steffy is the one who noticed first because of the same reasons Katie can't tell anyone."

It took them two hours to decide how they'd bring it up to their mother, since Bridget was still supposed to be in New York and Hope was in Milan.

"Hey! Why are you calling from LA? I thought you lived in New York?" Confusion is evident in Hope´s voice.

"Yeah, no, when I was talking to my partners about taking time off to promote Memories, they brought up that they wanted to start of a practice in LA and wondered if I'd maybe want to run it, so I talked to Nick, Owen and Jackie and they all agreed that it would be a great opportunity for me and so we moved to LA about a month ago. Mom and dad don't know and I'd like to keep it that way for a little bit longer. I have something that needs to happen before I can let them know!" Bridget ends mysteriously.

"Yeah! I can understand that." Then she realizes what Bridget said last. "Really? What is that?" Hope is totally curious.

"There's a man and a woman that needs to get back together before mom can be told about me living here now. Ridge, Thomas, Caroline, Wyatt and Quinn already know we're here. Rick sold the condo back to Jackie and Owen without knowing that he did. I really don't know how we could manage to keep away from them for this long, but hopefully this man and woman will be together by the end of the week." Bridget says with a smile.

"You're not talking about you and Nick are you? Because you know that's just a recipe for disaster!"

"No, well, I am talking about Nick, but not me. Oh, did I mention that Taylor lives here with us? Or rather that we live here with Taylor?" Bridget giggles a little.

"Are you serious? Do you really think that's such a good idea?" Hope is a little bit shocked.

"Yeah, I do. He's never let go of his love for her and you can see it in her eyes everytime she looks at him or Jack that she wants them both. He royally messed up when he let her go when mom was messing with his head and he's going to make it right as soon as the moment presents itself. Don't worry, Hope, I know where his heart is and my heart let him go the moment I got pregnant with Logan."

"Okej, but let me know what's going on with regards to Ticky-progress?" Bridget can hear the smile in Hope´s voice.

"Will do!"

I'm done!

When Taylor walks through the door with both boys a couple hours later, she's still shaken to her core at seeing her brothers youngest child. She hadn't seen her brother in the last ten years since their falling out and seeing Andrew was bittersweet.

Bridget can see the moment she walks through the door that something is wrong.

"Hey! How did it go at the library?" Bridget really shouldn't have asked Taylor that question, because what followed was an hour of Taylor crying her eyes out and Bridget trying to calm her down.

Jack and Logan were so confused, but they had sensed while in the car that Taylor wasn't in the mood to talk, so they had just talked quietly amongst themselves and not bothered Taylor the whole way home.

After about an hour, Bridget looks up as the front door opens and sees Nick walking through the door with groceries, because Bridget had sent him a text that he needed to get some food during all the crying.

He looks at the scene in front of him with shock on his face and a question in his eyes and as he turns towards Bridget she shakes her head as if telling him that she doesn't know.

Nick feels heartbroken looking at his former wife comforting his other former wife, the one he wanted back with all his heart, as he walks through to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

He starts on dinner and then walks out into the living room again. Nothing has changed from when he walked into the kitchen and so he sends Bridget out to continue with dinner and then walks over to Taylor, who still hasn't stopped crying.

" _Hey, what's wrong?"_ He gently whispers in her ears. Taylor is spooked and almost jumps back from him and then their eyes lock, causing Taylor to cry even more. So Nick just cradles her in his arms and leans them back in a position where they're laying on the couch. Taylor clings to him like there's no tomorrow.

Bridget gets dinner ready and goes to get the boys.

" _Hey boys!"_ She peaks her head through the door to the boys room. " _It's dinner time, but daddy/uncle Nick and mom/aunt Taylor is not eating at this point in time. Taylor is very upset about something and she needs Nick at the moment, they will eat at a later time and you two need to be quiet while walking downstairs. Okej?"_

Both boys nods their heads and then follow Bridget downstairs to eat. They quietly sneak by Taylor and Nick on the couch and Nick nods a thank you to Bridget, to which Bridget nods back and mouths ' _Always'_ back to him with a small smile.

While the boys and Bridget are eating, Taylor finally calms down and Nick can get some sort of explanation from her.

"You know my brother Zach right?" She waits for him to nod. "Just before you and I got married, he and I had a huge falling out and we said some things that we maybe shouldn't have said. I mean, family should never wish death on another family member, but because he did that, I've cut him out of my life completely not realizing just how much I would miss him and my niece and nephews."

Nick can see that it's hard for Taylor to explain this so he just rubs her on her back and lets her talk.

"I ran into his youngest today at the library, he asked if I wasn't to old to be going to the college library and as I turned around, he gasped my name and then he ran off. It all just brought everything back and then when you came and asked me what's wrong before, I remembered how extremely happy I had been with you and that during the time we were married, I didn't speak to my brother once and I haven't since before Thorne and I broke our engagement. I just couldn't believe I could be that happy with you, while my brother had been cut out completely, he doesn't even know about Jack." Taylor lifts her head to look at him again.

"You know, that first year I spent with you up until I found out about Brooke being the biological mother to Jack was probably the best year of my life, because it was as you said after Brooke came back from Sydney to get me back, I praised her for reminding us both of the insanity we left behind. I only wished I had been stronger then I was in remaining in that place after the truth about Jack´s maternity was revealed. I shouldn't have let you go back then and knowing now what I didn't know then, you must have felt like I just threw you away with the way I acted, suing you for full custody and all that. But I promise that wasn't my intent."

Taylor looks up at him with a shine in her eyes.

"I loved you so much back then, the way we grew into our love for each other was totally different then any man I have ever been in love with before. You were the first man to take a hold of my heart completely since Ridge did it all those years ago and unlike him you've always had a hold of my heart since, Ridge lost his hold on me the moment we kissed the first time. When I was with you, there was only you and my kids, nobody else mattered to me. Not Brooke, not Ridge or anyone else! But as always, I'm finally happy, content and feel like I'm home and something happens. My divorce from Blake is final, I'm happy and what happens? My mother dies in a car accident. Ridge and I have worked through our issues in regards to Brooke and Bridget. I get robbed at the airport from where my plane is leaving and I get knocked down and when I wake up I have amnesia and I don't remember a thing. Then Ridge comes to Marocco on his honeymoon with Brooke and I remember who I am. I come back to the states and then after a few years, Ridge and I get married again and have our beautiful twin girls and then a few years after that, I'm shot to death and end up in Marocco again. The rest you already know."

Nick pulls her into a hug and she sheds a few more tears. Then Nick asks a question that stuns Taylor a little bit.

"You said you loved me so much back then, does that mean you don't love me anymore?"

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Hahahaha.. Hear my evil laugh. A cliffhanger!**

 **Oh my goodness. So, Bridget is plotting to get Ticky back together and for that to happen, the right time has to happen for Nick to tell Taylor how he feels. Apparently the moments here.**

 **Could you imagine Hope being happy for Taylor and Nick after Brooke had been together with Nick?**

 **So, I have a few questions. Who do you think Katie, Bridget and Hope should end up with?**

 **So, as a reminder. DJ and Steffy are falling in love, Deacon and Quinn are in love, as are Caroline and Ridge. Eric is way to old for Hope and Bridget is his daughter. The single men at the moment are Wyatt and Thomas in LA and Liam in NY. But, Liam is not staying in New York forever.**

 **Seems like all three options are for Hope don't they? Should I bring back Dante for Bridget? They did have a little bit of a fling. Anyone else? Let me know what you think!**

 **For any of you wondering what's going on with Things happen. I've hit a snag with chapter 7 and it's just not working out the way I want it to, but I'm either going to scrap the whole thing and start over or post what I have. Eric decided to be a jerk and give me crap, so I'm tearing my hair out. Let me know if you want to read what I've got!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:**

 **This chapter is written before chapter 8 is posted, but I will really appreciate if you'd answer the questions posted in the ending AN of that chapter.**

 **As always, I do not own a single thing, I do not get paid for this, although where they are going with the show right now maybe they should look into my writing? :-D**

I'm done!

 **Chapter nine**

March 12th 2016

Los Angeles

It's almost a miracle the way they had managed to miss each other for another two weeks when it finally happens.

Nick is at the grocery store to find some of those chips that both Bridget and Taylor love so much, he's on his way back after getting some more paint and that's when he sees her.

"Nick Marone! What are you doing in LA?" Katie walks over and gives him a huge hug.

"We live here now, we've moved back." Nick gives her a smile that says 'I'm in a rush', but she doesn't seem to notice.

"So, it's just you and Jack then?" Nick just nods his head believing that he could get away if he said so. "That's good, so how long have you been in LA? Where are you living?"

"Oh, we got here a while back and we're living in Taylor´s house until we've found a place to live." He gives her a small smile and then starts backing up.

Straight into a cart being rolled around by his ex wife. He hears a gasp behind him and turns around.

" _Nick!_ " Brooke breaths out breathlessly. She walks around the cart and over to him to give him a hug, as he does, the feeling he used get before when being in close proximity with Brooke never appeared. She lifts her head up to kiss him and he places his hands on her shoulders and push her away. "What are you doing?"

Brooke is completely shocked at Nick´s actions.

"I'm not here for this! Nor will I ever be here for this." He looks at her with disgust on his face and Katie looks confused. "By the way, do either of you know where to find Lay´s BBQ-chips? Because I can't seem to find them."

Katie points out where she saw them last and then as he runs away, she turns to her sister and looks at her confused.

I'm done!

It had taken about a week and a half to get the testresults after Bridget had called a geneticist to schedule an appointment, all Logans still currently among this world had taken the test and the only ones who tested positive for the gene were Rick and Brooke. It had been a hastle pretending to still be living in New York when taking the test, but Bridget had gotten three tests sent to her for her to test herself, Logan and Jack.

When Bridget brought up the idea up that they all should get tested, Donna, Katie and Brooke agreed that it's a good idea to test themselves since the gene was present in the family, neither of the Logan girls knew who had set the ball in motion and hopefully they'd never find out.

At the moment, Katie, Donna and Stephen were trying to find out how long Brooke had before everything went to pieces and what they were going to do when it happened.

At this percise moment though, Katie and Brooke were stocking up on groceries for Katie´s house, where Brooke lived in the garage apartment. Brooke had been living there for about a week now. Though Katie knows that she should probably stay away completely, the only times they see each other is when they need to go to the store, so the amount of time she spends with Brooke is actually less then when she and Bill were still living together.

I'm done!

Over the past two weeks a lot had happened.

Katie and Bill had decided that life as divorced parents fitted them better then being married to each other. So Katie had used the bussiness card with Damon´s number on it and the process had been easy for both sides. Katie had already found a house for her and Will to live in after her and Bill´s house had been sold. Bill had moved into the cliff house as his son was no longer living there since being shipped off to New York.

The custody agreement was agreed to quickly with Katie having Will Monday afternoon to Friday morning and Bill getting Friday afternoon to Monday morning, they felt it was the easiest transition for their son getting three nights at dads place and three nights at moms house. Yes, Bill got more full days with Will, with him getting the full Saturday and Sunday, but it works for them and if one of them ever wants to have the week or weekend with their son, there's nothing that's set in stone, only thing that would happen if Katie decided she wanted Will over the weekend is that Bill picks Will up from School Monday afternoon and Katie picks him up after school lets out on Fridays, giving them one full week with their son. Bill pays Katie a monthly alimony to care for Will as well as they each pay half of the school fees. The both of them are very happy with the set up they have at the moment.

Thomas and Steffy are going to move out of the Forrester Mansion back into their childhood home since Katie and Bill sold it to them and at the moment they are currently rearraging the rooms upstairs so that instead of four smaller rooms and one master bedroom, they had two equally large masters, with ensuits and a walk in closet, of course Steffy´s closet is a little bit bigger due to Steffy letting go of some bedroom space for the closet to have, but all in all, both masters were about the same size, maybe a square inch or something bigger here or there. They were also redoing the pool house as a place for guests to stay in while visiting the house. There was also a library filled with the siblings favorite books.

The reason they were moving out is because baby Forrester was coming soon and they felt like they'd be in the way and since their childhood home was being sold, they jumped on it. They had also been the first to know that the house was being sold. So they each payed half of the amount it cost to buy the house and now they were house owners and they had decided that who ever got married first would buy the other one out and whoever left would get help finding a new property to live in.

Ridge and Caroline had decorated Ridge´s old bedroom as the nursery and they were now just waiting for the next few days would pass by quickly so they would get to say hello to their little baby boy.

Rick had been in touch with Ridge a few days ago to say that New York actually fitted him a whole lot better then LA ever had. He'd miss Maya and their baby, but New York was the place he needed to be.

As for Maya and their future baby, the house was finally completely done the way she wanted it, the house her parents lived in on the property was how they wanted it to be and Nicole and Zende were planning a wedding.

Back in Paris, Thorne had fallen back into the rhythm of Forrester International again and was thriving, in fact, he was thriving so much that he had actually found love again, well, they were dating at least and getting a feel for each other, but it seemed like they valued the same things and had the same goals in life and maybe starting a family in Paris was just what Thorne needed.

I'm done!

When Katie rolled into the garage of her house after getting all the groceries, she took everything inside and went to get her phone to call her niece. While she waited for Bridget to answer she put the phone on speaker and started putting everything away.

It took about four rings before Bridget answered.

"Hi Bridget! How are things in New York?" In the background on Bridget´s side of the conversation, she can hear someone open the front door and a man saying 'Hey!'.

"Well, as far as I know things are great in New York."

When Nick had come home a little over 30 minutes ago, he had told both Bridget and Taylor that he had run into Katie and Brooke and so they had decided to start saying that they were residing in LA now, but only if asked.

"Well, I ran into an ex of ours today and I wondered if you knew he was moving back to LA?" Katie is still putting stuff away as she's talking. She bought a lot of canned goods today and it needed sorting before being put into the cupboards.

"I did know that." Bridget is being really cryptic as she's talking.

"He said he and Jack lives in Taylor´s house. Why did he move back to LA? I thought he wanted to be close to his mother and Jack and Logan are really good friends?" Katie is pushing a bit.

"Well, yeah, but Massimo called and said he needed to go to LA and take care of the bussiness. I think he's currently being groomed to take over Marone Industries!" Bridget says with pride in her voice. "So he and Jack moved a while back!"

"Who was that man that came through your door as you answered?" Katie seems satisfied with the answer Bridget gave.

"Oh, that was Nick. He's making dinner." Just as Bridget has revealed her secret, Taylor walks through the door and in comes the two little boys and both of them come running over to Bridget and starts talking about this and that.

"What do you..." Katie then recognizes the voices of the two boys talking. "Why is Jack with you if he's supposed to be in LA?"

"Uhm, maybe because I'm in LA too?" Bridget just shrugs her shoulders.

"What are you talking about? What about the practice in New York?" Katie walks over to the kitchen table and she's glad Brooke isn't around.

"I'm living in LA now and in regards to the practice in New York, I'm starting up an affiliate practice in LA and that's why Logan and I are living in LA now."

Katie is so confused.

"Why haven't you said anything before?" Bridget can hear that Katie is hurt.

"Because we didn't want mom to know that we were moving back." Katie just sighs at this revelation.

"So how long have you been living in LA then?"

"About seven weeks now." Had Katie had a cup of coffee, she would've spit it out.

"Are you serious? You've lived in LA for seven weeks and you haven't even come and seen your mother?

"Why should I? How many times did she come and see me in New York? How many times since Logan and I moved has mom wanted to see either of us? The last time she wanted to see me was when she was trying to push your husbands baby onto dad and that was what? Two years ago? If I'm only of use to her when she needs something from dad, why should she be a priority in my life?"

"Well, she might not have that many lucid days left." Katie points out.

"Yeah, well, exactly how many days has she spent looking out for me when I grew up?"

Taylor can see that maybe it's time Bridget hung up the phone and so she starts motioning for Bridget to do just that, Bridget sees what Taylor is doing and so she does it.

"I got to go. But I'll see you at the meeting at Forrester next week! I hope you understand that I really do not want mom or dad to know that I've moved back to LA just yet. I'm surprising dad at the meeting, but before that I don't want them to know."

"I don't really understand, but I won't tell them." Katie felt a little trapped knowing something she couldn't talk to anyone except Bridget about and she felt like she really needed to talk to someone about it. So she sends off a text to a woman she's recently discovered as a true friend.

I'm done!

Steffy Forrester walks through the door of her fathers office with worry on her face and when Ridge looks up from the research papers to look at his daughter he can tell somethings wrong and when Steffy closes the door, he knows that it's a big something that's wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"Brooke and Katie just ran into Nick at the grocery store and that lead to Katie finding out that Bridget, Nick, Jack and Logan now live in LA. I don't think Katie knows about mom yet, but I have a feeling Bridget is a little bit stressed right now. Katie sounded like she'd been a little bit harsh on Bridget in regards to letting Brooke know she's back in LA." Steffy has walked over to sit in the chair at the table where her father does most of his designing, she turns the chair so she's facing her father as she's talking.

"Have you talked to Bridget?" Ridge raises his eyebrows.

"No, I haven't. We only need one more week though. The meeting is next week and Bridget said she was going to tell grandpa then." Steffy scratches her temple a little. "Maybe I should check in on them?"

Ridge just nods his head and so she takes her phone out and calls her mothers house, it takes five rings and then a little boy answers.

"Hello Logan! Is your mom in?" The smile that's on Steffy´s face seeps through the phone over to the little boy on the other side.

"Hey aunt Steffy! Yeah." Then she hears him put the phone down and tiny feets run to get Bridget, a few seconds later she can hear Logan telling his mother that Aunt Steffy is on the other end and was wondering if Bridget was home. She can hear the heels tapping the floor as they come closer to the phone.

"Hi Steffy! What's up?" The question evident in Bridget´s voice.

"Well, I heard that Nick ran into Katie and your mom today. Are you all okej?" Worry lacing Steffy´s voice.

"Yeah, we're fine, Nick got a little stressed while there, but we're good now. We've decided that if people ask, we're telling, but not if they don't."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. We're not telling anyone however. That's up to you to tell. I'm guessing I'll see you next week then?" A smile is slowly creeping into Steffy´s voice.

"Yes, you will. Say hello to your father when you see him?"

"Hi Bridget!" Ridge interjects.

"Oh, hi Ridge! Am I on speaker?"

"Yeah, but it's just dad and I on this end."

"Okej. I'll see you next week! Bye!"

Steffy says her goodbyes and Ridge does as well.

"Well, seems like they're doing just fine. Maybe I should stop worrying so much." Steffy leans back against the chair and sighs.

"Yeah, maybe you should. How's DJ by the way? I haven't seen him all week?"

"He's barricaded himself in the studio, not even I can come inside. I've just been told to bring certain groceries twice a week and throw out the trash when I deliver the groceries. Giving him complete control over the Darla and Macy-section of the clothes may not have been the best idea."

Ridge just chuckles at his daughter.

"Naaw, are you being jealous of a piece of paper? Are you feeling overlocked?"

"Yes! I have needs too and this is such a young relationship. I need to spend time with my boyfriend! Do you have any idea how long it's even been since I've seen him?"

"But Steffy, you've lived with a designer before, you know how we get when we're inspired." Ridge tilts his head a little.

"Yeah, but this is different. You're my father, he's my man. But I guess I just have to live with that."

Ridge just gives her a big smile.

"At least the both of you aren't designers. Could you imagine if the both of you had inspiration strike at different times and you never saw each other?"

Steffy just moans.

"Oh, why would you say such a thing?" She places her head on the top of her hand as she leans onto the design table. "But we are designers the both of us. I just happen to not have as much to do as he does currently."

Steffy has given away one of her secrets.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've been designing the perfume bottles, the bottles for the skin care line and the way the packaging is going to look for the make up. I've also designed the logo for Memories and the boxes that the make up and perfume will be put in. I'm also looking into the boxes for the jewelry," Then she realized what she's said and places her left hand over her mouth.

"What do you mean skincare line?" Ridge is thoroughly confused.

"Yeah, about that. I decided that we need a skincare line if we're going to do make up. I know I should've talked to you about it first, but I wanted to get it started first and try it out before throwing it out there. The plan was to show you during the meeting next week."

Ridge just nods his head.

"I can't pitch this until it's done, I've been in touch with a manufacturer for about three months now about this and I've been using the products for the last month. They're really good. Even my followers has noticed a difference in my skin these last few weeks. It's been really fun actually!"

Ridge can see that she's passionate about this and so he listens to what she says and decides to keep his opinion to himself until the meeting next week.

"I look forward to hearing your pitch."

"Well, I don't actually have to speak about it." Steffy looks mischievous and Ridge laughs at her expression.

"What have you done?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. I'm not telling you right now." Steffy sends a smile off to her father before she says goodbye and leaves before she spills even more secret stuff before she means to let it go.

I'm done!

Two days later, Caroline started feeling pain in her lower back, which increased in strength over the next two days until she couldn't deny that she was in labor anymore, so they called the midwife and Douglas Spencer Hamilton Forrester is born at 12:32 pm on March 15th 2016. He was the perfect blend of his parents and when Taylor came by to see the little boy, she smiled at him and said that he looks just like Thomas did when he was born. Then she goes and gives both new parents a big hug.

"Just remember that I'm almost always avaliable to babysit if you want alone time! I know your moms aren't around as they are still in New York, but I'm avaliable if you need me." She sends a smile to both Caroline and Ridge.

Ridge´s phone dings to alert him that he's gotten a text and he walks over to see what's going on.

"Hey, Katie, Brooke and Donna are on their way over to see the baby, so maybe you should leave unless you want them to find out you've moved to LA again."

This sets a fire under Taylor´s feet.

"Yeah! I should probably head out then. I'll see you all tomorrow in the office."

Ridge and Caroline watches Taylor walk out of the door and then they turn to each other.

"Why are Katie, Brooke and Donna coming to see the baby?" Both of the new parents look confused.

I'm done!

The next day sees Eric, DJ, Quinn, Steffy, Ridge, Thomas and Caroline with baby Douglas outside in Pam´s arms meeting in Ridge´s office to discuss the different stages of Memories and let Eric know that Bridget has moved back to town. Ridge takes charge instantly and starts reporting on the progress of the Aly and Phoebe sides of Memories, DJ then informs them on the progress of the Macy and Darla sides of Memories and that he should have a complete set of designs for Steffy and Ridge to look at in a few days, when he's done, Quinn tells about her progress for both Memories, Intimates and the Mens line. Then Ridge asks Steffy if she had something to say.

"Yeah, I do. I have created a skincare line as a complement to the make up line and I may or may not have changed out all of Caroline´s products in all of her skincare bottles when she´s started a new bottle for the last few weeks and I may or may not have done the same with yours and Thomas´s. I didn't tell you that before did I? That it's a line that has has both a male and female collection?"

Ridge starts feeling his face over to check if there's anything different about his skin and that's when he notices the difference. The other two do the same and they notice the difference as well.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that the skincare line is a go if you've been using us as labrats the last few weeks and you said that you've been using the products yourself when you accidentally told me about the line last week. Do you have a full set of the line in it's packaging to show us?" Ridge gives Steffy the cues to let Taylor and Bridget into the meeting.

"Yes, I do actually and they should be arriving right about now."

As if on cue, there's a knock on the door, so Steffy walks over to the door and opens it up to reveal Taylor and Bridget on the other side.

"Hi dad!" Bridget sends a smile off in Eric´s direction. The confused expression on Eric´s face is almost heartbreaking.

"Aren't you supposed to be in New York?" Eric looks from Bridget to Taylor. "Aren't you supposed to be in Paris?"

His voice turns a little bit angry as he's talking to Taylor, causing Taylor to stare him down.

"No, I've gotten a job at a medical center here in LA and I plan on keeping an eye on my children from now on. So much has happened these last few years within this family. Oh, Thorne sends his love." She says the last bit with sarcasm.

Eric has the decency to look ashamed of himself.

"I'm currently starting up a Medical Center right here in LA, because my partners in New York wanted to expand the business, so here I am."

"Have you been here long?"

"We've been here for what? Eight or nine weeks now?" Bridget turns to Taylor to get confirmation.

"Yeah, about that time yeah."

"Why weren't I told that you were moving back to LA? Does your mother know that you live in LA now?"

"We needed time for some things to happen before mom were supposed to find out and I knew that you would tell mom the moment you found out so I wouldn't risk telling you that I live in LA now."

"But Rick moved to New York, he said he was going to live with you."

"Oh, he's living in my apartment, we signed the lease over to him when we left. So he got a free apartment that he only has to paint rent for and according to Ridge, Rick is thriving in New York."

"Yes, he is. Now, I think that's all we had to talk about today so everyone is free to go. By the way, Steffy! Those bottles are gorgeous!" Ridge points to the bottles on the table that Bridget brought with her.

Everyone else agrees with him.

DJ walks up to Steffy and puts his arms around her waist and kisses her on her cheek. She turns around and puts her arms around his neck and kisses him.

"So, you wanna go and grab something to eat?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's been a while." The look they give each other is pure adoration and love.

Caroline, Quinn, Bridget and Taylor awes at the adorableness while Ridge, Thomas and Eric look away.

I'm done!

Before leaving, Steffy asked Bridget if she wanted to tag along with them to go for lunch as they were going to ask Wyatt and Deacon to join as well. DJ had already talked to Deacon about having lunch together and Deacon had been on board, they hadn't said a certain time as they didn't know when the meeting would be over.

Bridget had agreed to join them eventhough she was a little apprehensive to spend time with her ex-husband, ex-stepson, ex brother in law and her ex-husbands new wife. She wasn't entirely sure that she was completely over Deacons betrayal with her mother, but she knew that the only way to find out was to do it. She had already met DJ and Quinn about a month ago and she had liked them both, DJ had also been a part of her childhood. She was really curious about Wyatt though.

When lunch was over, Bridget felt like she'd gained several new friends and she was absolutely certain that she was completely over Deacon´s affair with her mother while he was married to her. The reason for this is that her and Deacon had been talking about this and that all through out lunch and nothing bothered her and she didn't feel hurt or sad at all.

Watching Quinn and Deacon be affectionate towards each other only made her heart swell and Wyatt was a really smart and intriguing guy, he'd be a great future friend and someone who Bridget would gladly accept with Hope, but she could tell that for Wyatt although you could see that he did love her sister, Hope wasn't even an option anymore, she could tell he had been hurt deeply by her sister.

While they were out, they also met CJ and Kimberly and meeting him sent shockwaves through Bridget that she hadn't felt since the last time she saw him almost fifteen years ago. It had taken her by surprise that those feelings were still there as she had thought their relationship as having been a teen aged flirtation between two kids from different sides of a war between their two family companies.

When she got home, both Nick and Taylor could see on her face that something had happened.

"Hey! How was lunch?" Taylor asks from the couch where she's sitting with Nick to the left of her.

"Lunch was good, I got to talk to both Deacon and Wyatt, Wyatt seems like such a good guy that I really think Hope messed up big time when she left him. I also realized that I'm completely over both Deacon and his affair with my mother. As we were leaving we ran into CJ and Kimberly and I realized something." Bridget drops down in the armchair next to the couch.

Nick feeling like girltalk is coming takes his leave.

"I'll go get the boys, they're about to be let out of school." Both Taylor and Bridget nods at him. Taylor watches as he's leaving with a smile on her face and then she turns back towards Bridget.

"So, I'm guessing you rediscovered your feelings for CJ then?" Bridget is totally shocked. "What? You thought we didn't see the way you got every time the name Garrison was brought up these last few weeks? Or how you behaved when ever Rick had him over when you were younger? Or how you behaved when CJ and Amber were getting married after Becky died?"

"You mean to tell me that you've known that I had feelings for CJ all through my marriage to Deacon, my relationship with Dante and both my marriages to Nick?"

Taylor looks her straight into the eyes.

"Of course. We all knew, well, except maybe Nick and Deacon and how you managed to put a lid on them for this long is a mystery."

"Well, he was the competitions son."

"Yeah, so? Your brother married the competitions daughter twice and then the competitions assistant."

"And look where and what that got him."

"Yeah, but he had wonderful years with two wonderful women in between. I really hope his new girlfriend is the real deal, I don't think he'd be able to function if she left him. I don't think she will though, the way she was looking at him when I saw them together just before I left Paris it seemed like she'd be in it for the long haul. I'm thinking she's his ever after and she's young enough to give him children if that's in the cards as well as old enough to want them. I think they'll be good together!"

"Yeah, I should go visit them some time. Take Logan with me and spend a few days in Paris with my brother."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan, and Paris in June or July is absolutely gorgeous." Taylor tilts her head a little. "So, what are you going to do about CJ?"

Taylor doesn't get an answer to this question as two little boys come storming in through the front door and then her heart skips a few beats when Nick walks through the door with groceries and a folder from the school.

"Hey! What you got there?" Nick places a huge smile on his face.

"Well, our boys had a little test yesterday to give the teachers a hunch of where they are in their knowledge and it seems they're two little geniuses!"

"Really?" Bridget overacts her surprise.

"Yeah momma! I got all of them!"

"What about you Jack?" Taylor asks her son.

"Uhuu, I got all of them too. But mine where harder then Logan´s cause I'm older then him!"

Taylor gives a huge smile.

"That is so good my boy!"

"That's what daddy said!"

"Well, it seems he's been rubbing off on me then!"

Both Jack and Logan giggle at this. Nick comes back from the kitchen and walk over to Taylor and gives her a kiss causing the boys to make eww-sounds, which in turn earned them the chance to see another kiss. Both Taylor and Nick then turn around with big smiles on their faces, sending clues that they were up to something, causing the two boys to start running for cover.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Yaaaay! Ticky!**

 **And apparently Bridget has been having feelings for CJ for a really long time. I didn't know that this Bridget also had feelings for CJ until I wrote this chapter.**

 **So, not much Avant-stuff in this chapter, but Nicole is about to have her baby soon so expect there to be some Avant-stuff coming soon.**

 **Okej, so, some might think that it was way to early for Caridge to take their brand new baby boy to work with them only a day after he was born. Don't worry, it was an hour and a half long and he slept through most of it, when it was over and done with both Ridge and Caroline went back home. He was born a few days early, so had he been born on his due date, Caroline would've still been pregnant at this time.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:**

 **Yeah, so, I don't have a drivers license yet and I am working on it at the moment. During the times that the website is loading, I'm writing because I have almost the crappiest internet ever and that's why it's taking longer to update my stories. I do have chapters already written, but I need to have chapters to post when those are done as well.**

 **Goodbye to yesterday is having a small hiatus because my inspiration for that one has completely vanished at the moment.**

 **Steffy might seem a little bit like a bitch in the beginning of this chapter, that's because she's got so much on her plate right now and the people around her should be taking note of this and actually help her out by doing the things she needs them to do. This is a big undertaking she has gotten herself into when she decided to add the skincare line into Memories and if you remember, the PR that needs to go into Memories is another huge undertaking that she's already working on, even though the line isn't due for release into the stores until spring 2017. The reason for the delay until one year away is revealed a little later in this chapter.**

 **Now, some actor changes. I know that Jacob Young is staring as Rick Forrester at the present time in the show, but Kyle Lowder is the one that I felt had the most impact on me as Rick Forrester, therefore I chose to have Kyle Lowder as the one who stars as 'my Rick', if you know what I mean. He fits better as a whole sibling to Ashley Jones´s Bridget, and as a halfbrother to Kim Matula´s Hope. Pierson Fode is a gorgeous guy, but he doesn't look like an older sibling and he's supposed to be atleast a year and a half older then Steffy, so my Thomas is from this chapter on is portrayed by Adam Gregory. He and JMW look more like siblings then JMW and PF.**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **I do not own anything in regards to characters or the show.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter ten**

April 4th 2016

New York

He had been living in New York for almost three weeks when he realized that Bridget probably weren't living there anymore, he figured she had her reasons for not wanting anyone to know she had moved so he didn't tell anyone either. Two weeks ago he found out that she had moved back to LA and that she had taken Logan, Jack, Nick, Owen and Jackie with her and that she was opening an affiliate for the Medical Center that she had been working on for the last few years and it made him so proud of his sister.

Giving up everything that he had in LA had been hard in the beginning, but after one week in New York, he realized that Steffy and Ridge´s decision to send him to this city had been in his own best interest, he wouldn't have been able to watch Maya and Nicole taking care of his and Maya´s daughter and so, moving straight across the country had been a good thing.

The moment he had set foot in New York he could feel the winds of change starting to work their magic on his life. He just knew he would do good here.

Walking into his sisters apartment, or, no, his apartment now, that first day had been a little daunting, but when he got to work he understood that this is where he was meant to be.

He had been by Spencer Publications office in New York to see Karen and Liam because they were the only people in New York he knew personally and he had left there chuckling because Liam had been sneakily trying to get information on what Steffy was doing the whole time he was there and having seen Steffy before he left and seeing how she was growing as a business woman and how secure and content she seemed in her relationship with DJ compared to what she had been in her relationship with Liam, her letting her relationship with Liam go was a good decision on her part.

These last two weeks have cleared his head of a lot of old grudges and he himself feels so much lighter in every aspect of his life. He knew he had screwed up massively when he cheated his father out of the CEO-position with the plan he had thought out with Maya, the way he had behaved when he was CEO hadn't been the correct way a CEO should behave and the way he had treated everyone had been appalling, especially the way he had treated his niece, Aly, and he wished that he could've taken it all back, but he knew that the end result was the price he had to pay. Him staying on as CEO wouldn't have done anyone any good.

When he had first moved to New York, he had seen it as a deportation, but thinking things over he realized that this was a chance to evolve as a person and the new responsibility that he's obtaining as the head of the newly opened New York-office for Forrester Creations was forcing him to grow up faster then his marriage to Maya and their future baby had ever done.

The new office was straight in the middle of the city and the building was beautiful. He had been scouting locations for the new boutiques that Ridge and Steffy were starting up as a complement to the relaunch of the Men´s line and Intimates. He had found what he considered the perfect one, but he needed Ridge, Steffy or Thomas to come and take a look. He knew that since Thomas had been producing designs behind the scenes all the designs for Intimates and the Men´s line, Thomas had been the one checking on all the locations for the boutique in LA as well as in Las Vegas, Miami and Seattle. Thorne had checked on the locations in Paris and London and the two European stores were well on the way.

At this particular moment, he was sitting in his office waiting on the phone to talk to Ridge about someone coming to New York to look at the location. He isn't expecting who answers though.

" _Hello!_ " The person on the other end is a little stressed.

"Uhm, Taylor? Why are you answering Ridge´s phone?"

" _Oh, I guess he took mine when he left here yesterday after our family dinner._ " He can hear the confusion in her voice. " _I'm going to have to talk to him about that._ "

"Oh, okey? But I thought you live in Paris? Why is Ridge at a family dinner in Paris?"

" _Oh, no, I live in LA now. I was offered a job at the clinic your sister and her partners is opening up here in LA and I took it. Anyway, I believe you wanted to talk to Ridge?"_

"Yeah, I did. Do you know where I can catch him? I know it's early there."

" _Try the mansion? Or Caroline´s phone is probably your best bet._ "

"Thank you! I really hope you'll like working at Morganville. Bridget is very fond of the staff at the center here in New York!"

" _Yeah, I know. We've gotten to choose the staff ourselves for the opening of this one. If one of us didn't like the person considered, they didn't get the job. We felt we needed to be able to get along with all of the people we're to work with._ "

"So, yeah. I got to phone Ridge now, we need to decide who comes here to check out the location for the boutique here in New York."

" _Yeah, you better get on that, although I do believe Caroline said something about coming to New York to show Douglas off to her mothers and Liam._ "

"Oh, yeah. Well I need to talk to him either way. I'll talk to you some other time!"

" _Yeah, I want to know how you're doing in New York. Ridge says you're doing really well, but there's nothing like hearing it from the source._ " Taylor chuckles on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I'll give you a call later and I'll let Ridge know you have his phone, unless he already knows. Expect a visit from your ex!"

" _Talk to you later! Bye!_ "

Rick says goodbye and then he calls the mansion.

Four rings of waiting and someone answers the phone.

" _Hello! Forrester residence!"_

"Hey Steffy! How are you doing?"

" _Rick?_ "

"Yeah? I'm calling cause Ridge hasn't gotten in touch with me yet in regards to who's to come and check the new location for the New York-boutique."

" _Oh, hi Rick! Yeah, dad was supposed to call you yesterday, but there was a situation and he didn't have the time. Anyway, dad and Caroline are going to New York for a weekend getaway with Douglas and show him off to her mothers this weekend, so I'm thinking you'll get a call later today. Now, I need to go to my newish house to check on the progress._ "

"Moving back into your childhood home are you?"

" _Yes, Thomas and I bought it from Katie and Bill when they decided to get divorced. Katie got my half of the payment and Bill got Thomas´s part. It was a fair deal."_

"Well, it's a good investment. How is DJ doing?"

Steffy groans.

" _Well, he's still busy with some stuff and we haven't spent that much time together this last week so I'm growing a little impatient. But we'll be fine when the stuff is done. Anyway, I got to go now. I need to be there within an hour and it takes fortyfive minutes to drive there. I'll talk to you later!_ "

"Yeah! Are you coming to help set up the shop when it's time for that? I know the reason for the shops have something with an idea you had so you should probably handle all that right? Make sure the shops look the way you want them to?"

" _Yeah, I'm coming to New York after the boutiques in Miami and Las Vegas are done. Thomas will deal with the location in Seattle. I'll see you then!_ "

"Oh, by the way! I called your fathers cell, but Taylor answered it, so maybe you could tell Ridge that his phone is in the safe hands of his ex wife?"

" _Well, I guess that's why mom didn't answer the text I sent her earlier. I'll let him know his phone is on the run and that he needs to call you pretty soon! He should be in touch before the end of the day!_ "

Then they say goodbye and hang up and Rick leans back into his desk chair. He takes a little break and then turns his focus towards his computer to find the numbers he needs to see.

I'm done!

Los Angeles

Steffy is knocking hard on her fathers bedroom door.

Caroline walks to it and opens the door.

"Hi Steffy! What's up?"

"Well, dad needs to call Rick, his phone is at moms house, I needed to leave atleast ten minutes ago and you all need to get out of bed!" She then alerts Caroline to the sounds coming from the nursery.

"Oh, I haven't heard anything on the baby monitor!" She walks back into the bedroom, tells her husband and then scurries off to her sons nursery.

Steffy looks into the bedroom. "You better get up and get to work, there are things you need to do that weren't done yesterday!"

Then she just waves him off before he can even say anything and leaves.

I'm done!

On her way to work she has Modern Talking blaring from the speakers and she's singing along to You're my heart, you're my soul. As she gets to the second to last trafic light before getting to turn onto the road Forrester Creations is situated she looks into the car next to her and in it there's a woman who hasn't been in her life for a while. She waves her hand and smiles.

Steffy´s car and the cab pulls into the parkinglot at the same time, Steffy parks in her normal spot and then walks over to the woman after the cab has dropped her and her bags off.

"Hi! I didn't think you'd be coming until after the summer?" Steffy sends a smile her way after letting go of the hug.

"Hi!" She pulls a strand of hair away from her face. "Yeah, I thought I was staying in Milan for a while longer. But with moms diagnosis and Taylor and Nick getting together again is causing her stress that she doesn't need. Although probably well deserved. Anyway, I'm back now."

Hope sends off a smile to her ex stepsister.

Since leaving for Milan a lot had happened. Amongst other things, she had been seeing a shrink and getting her priorities straight, she had also gone by one of Milan´s best hairdressers and changed her hair cut and her hair color. Brooke Logan´s beloved curly haired blonde and blue eyed daughter were no longer a blonde.

"Hey, what did you do to your hair?" They start walking into the building and because no one has seen Hope's new hair do, she's not recognized and can walk to the elevator without being stopped.

"Well, it was time for a change, don't you think?" She shakes her head making her redish brown curls jump all over. "Anyway, you've done the same thing since breaking up with Liam haven't you?"

Hope points at Steffy's luscious locks and Steffy just shrugs her shoulders causing both girls to laugh.

"I like it! Makes your eyes pop!" Steffy chuckles. "The photos for the promotion will look gorgeous! So, were are you staying?"

"Well, I was thinking about asking you and Thomas if I could live in your guest house? Taylor's house is a little crowded and I really don't feel like living so close to mom right now, even though I did come back partially for her sake. Dad and Quinn are a living in a two bedroom apartment and I think Quinn may have been told about the idiotic mistake I did when I told Liam about the baby and she might not be that happy with me." Hope bends her neck and starts wringing her hands trying to battle her nerves.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Thomas about it. I can't see that there would be a problem though. So, you wanna see your brother?" Looking over at Hope she sees that the younger woman looks so confused. "DJ, you want to see your brother?"

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen him other then the time I spent with dad and Macy, but I don't really remember that. I mean, I was two years old. Anyway, is he here at Forrester Creations or is he somewhere else?"

"He's supposed to meet me in my office in two minutes. So you'll probably meet him right about now." Steffy drags the word now out as the elevator door opens to reveal DJ about to knock on his girlfriends office door with a stack of design sheets.

He looks up when the elevator pings and a big smile forms on his lips. Hope looks to her former stepsister and sees the same level of joy on her lips as well and it makes her happy. Not because Steffy obviously has moved on from Liam, but because Steffy seems more serene and content then she ever was with Liam, just like her dad said when she found out that Wyatt had heard her when she told Liam about the baby.

She watches her brother place the design sheets on Pam's desk and the look on Pam´s face tell her that this happens almost every time Steffy and DJ meet.

Steffy on the other hand feels her heart skip a beat and then runs over to kiss her boyfriend hello as soon as he's put the design sheets on the desk.

Pam notices the young woman that Steffy came up in the elevator with and smiles.

"They're sicklingly sweet don't you think?"

Not wanting to expose herself just yet, Hope just nods her head and smiles.

"Hey Pam, when dad gets here, can you ask him to come into my office after you have him go to moms place to get his phone and talk to Rick about this weekend?"

"Yes, I will!" Pam sends a smile off to her great niece. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, can you ask Thomas to stop by before he runs off to Seattle?" Steffy sees Pam nod her head. "Great! You want to meet for lunch later?"

"Yeah, I have brought some food today, but it should be enough for all of us. I assume DJ and your guest will be staying until lunch?"

"Oh, I sure will if you've made the food auntie Pam!" DJ walks over to Pam and gives her a hug.

Hope just nods her head.

"Now, I need to check these designs DJ has brought with him and have a talk with you." Steffy points towards Hope because she's noticed that Hope hasn't said a word since the elevator door opened and figured that she wasn't entirely ready to reveal herself yet.

She opens the door and lets the siblings into her office.

"So, let me see those sketches while you talk to your sister!" Steffy smiles at DJ.

"My what?" DJ looks at the woman who followed them into Steffy's office. "Hope?"

Hope just nods her head.

"I thought you were still in Milan? Does dad know that you're here in LA?"

"No, I hopped on a plane yesterday because I felt it was time to come back. Mom´s not doing so good so here I am."

"So, what's your plan?"

"I'm going to come back to work and hopefully live in Steffy and Thomas´s guesthouse for the time being until I can get an apartment."

"What about Wyatt? Liam?"

"I hurt Wyatt to much when I left that I don't expect him to be particularly happy with me being back, but hopefully we'll be able to not fight constantly. Maybe even be friends. Liam is history. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. Him and I are done." She looks over at Steffy who's totally unaware of the world around her as she's looking through the stack of designs. "I wasted so much time thinking that we just hadn't had our chance yet, but it shouldn't be that difficult to make a realtionship work. I mean, when he was with Steffy, they just flowed better then he and I ever did."

"Do you feel more secure now?"

"Yes, I feel like myself again!"

He hadn't seen her for atleast twenty years, so he has no idea just how broken she was when she left, but she seems to be more in tune with her self then the girl that Steffy had described.

"Good! Welcome back!"

There's a knock on the door. The siblings notice that Steffy apparently hadn't heard the knock and so DJ goes and opens the door to let Thomas in before closing the door.

"Hey Thomas! How are you today?"

Thomas gives DJ a side hug.

"I'm good, on my way to the air port, Pam said Steffy needed to see me." He chuckles. "But apparently she's busy!"

He walks over and waves his hand over the design sheets.

"What?" She looks up at him with confusion in her eyes. "Oh. Hi Thomas!"

"Hi Sis! What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you'd have a problem with Hope living in the guesthouse at our house for a while?"

"Isn't she still in Milan? What would she need to live in the guest house for?"

"Because she's not in Milan anymore and her living accomodations have dimished since dad sold the house her mother lived in."

"Well in that case I don't have a problem with it. When is she coming?"

Hope decides to speak up coming out of her original shock of how handsome Thomas has become since she left.

"Actually, I'm already here."

Thomas head whips around to look at the woman standing by the window that he hadn't recognized.

"Welcome back!" Thomas sends her a smile. "It's a good thing the guesthouse is done isn't it?"

He looks at his sister and then starts laughing.

"It sure is." She starts laughing too. Then DJ starts laughing as well.

"What's so funny?" Hope asks timidly.

"I'm sorry. The guest house is about one week away from completion. They're putting in the kitchen at the moment and the bathroom isn't quite done yet. But we can probably smuggle you in to one of the guesthouses on granddads property if you want in the mean time?"

"Oh, okay. I understand." She then gives a little laugh. "Well, I promise I can hide real good at one of the guest houses for a week, as long as someone delivers food to me."

"Good. We'll do some shopping when we leave from here and stock up on stuff for you to eat and then you can start thinking about reinventing Hope for the Future. Maybe do a little designing and figure out a new message behind it because your old one just doesn't fit anymore! Maybe extend the line as well to underwear and stuff?"

Hope looks at her with fear in her eyes.

"I'm not talking about lingerie like for the Intimates line. I'm talking about tanktops with intergrated bras, panties, socks, trainerbras and that kind of stuff. If we're keeping Hope for the future, we need the line to be self sufficient. You know. A one stop shop." Steffy sends Hope a reassuring smile. "We'll still focus towards the tweens and teens of our clients and therefore the Intimates line is a little to mature and I think that underwear is what was missing. Nothing to sexy, kids should stay kids for as long as they are kids. I don't want mothers yelling at our store managers that their 12 year old wants to wear a pair of black lace thongs. It's to soon!"

"Oh, I get it. I just need supplies and a whiteboard for thoughts."

"That can be arranged." Then a thought enters Steffy´s head. "Unless you want to go with Thomas to Seattle for a few days to check on the store location there?"

"Well, that could be fun?" Hope looks to Thomas to see what he thought of the idea.

"Sure, that way you don't have to hide out in one of granddad´s guesthouses."

"I do want a suggestion for Hope for the Future though when you get back."

"Won't Hope for the Future impact Memories though?" DJ interjected.

"No, Hope is just helping us model it and some promotions and Memories aren't going to be released until April next year and Hope should have something to do as she's not involved in Memories more then the promotion of it."

"Why wait so long to release Memories though?"

"We've got seven stores that should be filled with Memories-clothes, accessories, make up, shoes, skincare and it needs to be manufactured before we can fill the stores. So we'll start with Intimates, the Mens line, Couture and Hope for the Future in the stores. There will be two levels of the store, the second one will be about seven steps up from the groundfloor and have Memories on it, the first one will have the other lines."

Thomas is impressed.

"Oh, you've really thought this through haven't you?"

"Of course I have, I don't do things only half way. Dad recognizing that we needed to open up the stores again was an event that seems to have slipped my mind. But I thank him every day for it. It was a good decision on his part!" Steffy smiles. "Can you stay for lunch or do you need to leave now?"

"No, we can stay for lunch. I'll just go call the pilot and let him know he's not needed until what? 2:30?"

"That'll be good! Can you and DJ go to the store and pick up some sushi, sallads and some melons? Pam is joining us, but our gathering keeps growing so we might need more food. Any food we don't eat you two can bring on the plane!" She points between Hope and Thomas.

Both nods their heads.

"Good!"

"Shall we go then? Lunch is closing in on us." Thomas directs the question to DJ.

"Yeah. Let's go!"

"Tell Pam when you leave!" Steffy says just as they open the door to find Ridge on the other side.

"Sure! Hey dad!" Thomas hurries out the door. "Bye dad!"

"Hi dad! I'm sorry about this morning!"

"It's okay honey. You have a lot to do and I didn't do my part yesterday. I have called Rick though and I went and got my phone from your moms house! Your mom told me so send her love."

"Thank you! I'm going to go see her a little later. But the reason I wanted to meet with you for I came across just over an hour ago."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Ridge sends a smile his daughters way.

"I believe that would be me, I think."

Ridge's reaction is so similar to Thomas' that both Steffy and Hope starts laughing.

"You know, Thomas is really your son!"

"Hope?" Ridge turns his head between the woman sitting on the couch by the window and his daughter.

"Yeah?"

"What have you done with your hair? Does your mom know you're here?"

"I had it cut and colored and mom does not know I'm in LA and I'd prefer if she didn't know until I'm settled."

"Welcome home! So, where are you going to live?"

"Well, at the moment I'm being shipped off to Seattle with Thomas for a few days and hopefully Thomas and Steffy´s guesthouse should be done when we get back, otherwise I'm getting smuggled into one of the guesthouses of the Forrester Mansion."

"While she's in Seattle with Thomas checking the store out to match my description she'll be reinventing Hope for the Future. I've given her some instructions. If you want me to I'll send you an e-mail just in case?" Steffy directs her eyes towards Hope as she asks the question.

"That's a good idea!" Ridge agrees with Hope reinventing Hope for the Future.

"Yeah, can you do that?"

"Do you have your Ipad with you? For designing and all that?"

"Yes, I do actually. Do you think I could get some help to hide my suitcases?"

"Yeah, we can keep them here for the time being. Maybe you should pack a bag for Seattle before the boys get back?"

"That's probably a good idea!"

Hope gets to work packing a bag and Steffy and Ridge check out the designs DJ had come up with. Just as they finish discussing the designs DJ and Thomas walk back through the door.

"Are you ready for lunch?"

"Yeah! I am!"

"I'm going to excuse myself because I need to speak to our lawyer about something."

"Is there something I need to know about?"

"No, it's , house, baby and marriage related! Don't worry, it's nothing bad!"

"Okey! I hope it goes okey!"

"I can't see a reason it wouldn't. Have a good time in Seattle both of you! I'll see you when you get back!"

"I'll see you then!" Hope says with a smile.

"I'll see you later!" Steffy says and then Ridge walks out the door.

Just as Ridge is about to close the door, Pam walks up with a couple of bags and a cooler.

"Hey! Are you leaving?" She looks confused.

"Yeah, busy busy life aunt Pam!" Ridge sends off a smile.

"Oh, don't I know it!" Pam accepts the side hug that Ridge offers.

Pam walks through the door and looks at the people on the other side.

"Hey! I know you little missy!" Pam points at Hope and then breaks into a smile. "Why didn't you tell me it was you Hope?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to be here yet and I'm hopping on a plane to Seattle with Thomas in three hours so I'm not really here!"

"Well, I love the new do!" Pam flicks the ends of her short hair with her fingers.

"Thank you! I do too!"

Pam walks over and gives her a hug after unloading the bags and cooler.

Meanwhile, Steffy and DJ has been talking about the designs.

"They're really good! I think you've captured both Darla and Macy to a tee with these designs."

"Thank you!"

"Now, let's eat!" She then follows up the request with a kiss on her boyfriends lips. "Hey Aunt Pam, I hope I can count on your discretion when it comes to Hope being back in the states?"

"Of course! If she's not supposed to be here yet, there's no reason for me to say that she is."

"Thank you!" Hope gives an appreciative smile.

"Besides, what would I have to say to any of the Logans either way? It's not like we like each other that much?"

"Well, there are more people in this company and world that doesn't need to know she's here just yet. There are probably a few people that doesn't want to know she's here either." Steffy explains with a sad expression on her face.

Hope nods her head knowing who those people are.

The rest of lunch passed by in laughter, catching up and random chats about marshmallows, cats, crackers and Thomas and Steffy´s renovations of their new home.

"Okej, Sorry to cut this short, but we've got a plane to catch." Thomas exclaims and he and Hope take their stuff they need to bring with them and then head out to airfield.

But before Hope leaves, she walks over to Steffy and whispers something in her ear. Steffy just nods.

" _I will if you're sure."_

Hope just nods her head.

"Okej. Have fun in Seattle!"

Steffy watches them leave and then sits down with a heavy sigh.

DJ reaches out and pulls her into his arms.

"We need to talk to your dad, Quinn and Wyatt." DJ just nods his head realizing what Hope said when she whispered in his girlfriends ear.

"You should probably do that as soon as you can." Pam says pointedly.

"Yeah. Thank you for lunch Aunt Pam!" Steffy says before getting up from the couch to walk over to give Pam a kiss and a hug before she leaves Steffy´s office.

DJ says his thanks for lunch as well while sending out texts to his dad, stepmom and stepbrother to meet him in Steffy´s office within the hour.

I'm done!

When the text reaches Quinns phone, she's confused, so she walks over to her sons office. She knocks on the door and sees him looking just as confused.

"Why would DJ want to meet us in Steffy´s office within the hour? Why can't he just come here?" Wyatt looks up at his mother.

Just as she's about to respond, she gets a text from her husband.

"Well, apparently Deacon has also been summoned so we'd better go."

The drive over to Forrester Creations was filled with worry about what DJ could possibly want to talk about. When they get to Steffy´s office, Deacon is already there and they walk over to sit next to him and look expectantly over at DJ and Steffy.

"I don't really know how to say this." She looks at her boyfriend and then to the door which is still open. He walks over and closes the door. She looks over to Deacon. "When was the last time you talked to Hope?"

"Two days ago I think. What does that have to do with anything?"

Steffy looks over at Wyatt and sends a small smile his way before turning back to Deacon.

"Did she say anything about coming back to LA at the time?"

"No, she said she was going to be staying in Milan until the promotions for Memories were starting." Deacon is even more confused.

"I'm not really sure how you're all going to take this, but I met with Hope earlier today and she asked that I tell you three about her being back in the states before you ran into her somewhere."

There's a flash of anger in Wyatts eyes, then he gets up and walks out of the office.

"Okej. Thank you!" Quinn seems almost numb as she gets off the couch and walks out of the office as well.

Deacon just sighs and falls back into the backrest of the couch.

"This really changes things. Thank you for letting us know!"

"Well, she thought it was better that you were prepared about her being here rather then seeing her out on the town somewhere."

"Where is she going to live? Brooke´s place is far to small and I don't think I could get away with having her live with us."

"At the moment she's on a plane to Seattle with Thomas, but when they get back we're hiding her in one of the guesthouses on the Forrester Property until the guesthouse at mine and Thomas is done, then she'll be living there for the time being. She's going to be focusing on reinventing Hope for the Future at the moment, but sending her off to Seattle with Thomas was thought up at the time."

"How long has she been in LA?"

"She arrived at the airport at 7:30 am and then she left LA with Thomas at 2:30 pm. They should be back Thursday morning or just before noon. Quinn and Wyatt needed to know because it would give them some time to prepare for when she comes back in case they see her, you needed to know to act as support and sounding board for your wife and her son. DJ and I will be here in case they need to talk to someone. It'll more then likely be difficult for Wyatt to see her again, especially after the way they left things between them and I don't think he's entirely over it yet."

Deacon just nods his head.

I'm done!

Meanwhile, down in the parkinglot Quinn has caught up to her son just as he's about to get into the car. She opens the passenger door and jumps in. He waits just long enough for her to put her seatbelt on before tearing out of the parkinglot.

The drive is silent, but you could probably cut the tension with a knife.

He pulls into the parkinglot at his mothers firm and gets out of the car and goes back to work. His mother following behind him paying close attention to his bodylanguage.

Knowing her son as well as she does, she knew he'd do the work he needed to do and then use her as a sounding board when the work day was over and true to form, five hours later, he walks into her studio where she's working on a piece for Aly´s jewelry section of Memories.

"Why did she have to come back now?"

She can see the confusion and tears in her sons eyes.

"Well, with everything happening with her mothers illness, what better time then to come back now? I'm guessing it was a last moment decision on her part."

"I guess."

"She also gave you a heads up that she's back!"

"What do you mean?" Having not heard the part where she's currently in Seattle with Thomas.

"She's in Seattle at the moment checking out the store location with Thomas so she's not in LA at the moment. You have a few days to reconcile with the thought that she's back in LA."

"Oh. Why did she go to Seattle with Thomas?" Confusion spreads over Wyatt´s face.

"I don't know. Deacon stayed behind after we left, maybe he knows more?"

"She's not going to live with you is she?"

"I don't know. Another thing to ask Deacon about I think."

"Well then, let's go ask him."

"Let me just get this piece done." Quinn looks up at her son and sees that he's calmed down slightly since leaving Forrester Creations.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Yeah, so. Hope´s back. Who saw that one coming? I sure didn't. I was sure I had atleast seven more months to write about before Hope would come back. She disagreed however and here she is.**

 **Was it a good idea to send her off to Seattle with Thomas?**

 **Yeah, so... I've scr**ed myself over and started on a new fanfic based on a post that I made on a message board dedicated to B &B this week and I'm writing it currently. I currently have five chapters written for I'm done and four for Things happen, so I'm not putting those stories on HIATUS, but there will be a new story coming soon and I truly believe it's some of my best work yet. I'm currently writing chapter two and have a prologue and chapter one already done. So, be on the look out at around New Years for _Floating memories_!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:**

 **As always I do not own a thing!**

 **Yeah, Hope coming back aftermath.**

 **Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!**

 **Remember to stop by on New Years day to read the Prologue for Floating Memories!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter eleven**

After getting some more information from Steffy and his son, Deacon left Forrester Creations and went home thinking that Quinn and Wyatt had gone home to talk things through.

When he walked through the door however, neither of them were there. Knowing then that they'd probably gone back to work, he knew they would more then likely come home a little later for answers.

So he started on dinner and true to form, Quinn and Wyatt walks through the door just as the lasagna is done.

The table is set and the sallad is done.

The three sit down and Deacon waits for either of the other two to start talking.

"So, did you find anything else out after we left?" Quinn breaks the silence.

"Yeah, I did. Hope spent a few hours with Steffy, DJ, Thomas, Ridge and Pam before Thomas had to leave for the plane to Seattle. She's going to spend a few days there with him and then when she comes back, they're going to be hiding her in one of the guesthouses on Eric´s property before she moves into the guest house that Thomas and Steffy has on their property. She's going to be hiding out and try to reinvent Hope for the Future before letting the world know she's back in the states. She wanted Steffy to tell us to let the two of you prepare yourself that she's back so that you don't see her out and about somewhere causing you hurt. Hope coming back now was a last moment decision and it wasn't entirely thought out."

"Why did she go to Seattle with Thomas?" Wyatt asks silently.

"It's easier to hide in a hotel in Seattle for a few days then in a guest house on the Forrester property where someone can walk in on her at any time. Steffy gave her an assignment to do while she's away and it should help her fight the cabin fever of staying in a hotel after seeing the location of the store the first day they're there."

"Why is she back though? I thought she loved living in Milan?"

"Well, she felt it was time to come back, especially with her mothers illness and all that. She's just not entirely ready just yet to venture out into the world."

"Okej. So she came back and then she was sent off to Seattle with Thomas?"

"Well, getting sent of to Seattle is probably not the term to be used as she was asked if it was something she wanted to do, it was just an easier way for her to stay hidden from the world until the guest house is ready for her to move into. It was a spur of the moment decision that fell out well so that you can figure out how you feel about her being back before you see her."

Wyatt just nods his head. He was just so confused about all these feelings invading his mind and heart again. He knew he needed to talk to someone and he knew just the person to talk to.

I'm done!

 _Seattle_

The suite Thomas had booked had two bedrooms with en suites, a kitchen and a livingroom, actually, it was more of an apartment then a hotel suite and it worked for the both of them.

"So, how does it feel to be back in the States?"

"Well, given the situation I was in when I left, I'm not really back until I've seen and talked to Wyatt. But it feels like the right decision and if he doesn't want to talk to me or even let me know that he knows I'm back, I can't really fault him for that."

Thomas just nods his head.

"So, I'm heading to the grocery store, anything you want?"

"I have a craving for watermelon at the moment, so if you can find a small one of those I'd be happy!" She smiles at him as she watches him collect all the things he'd need. "Oh, and paper, pens, erasers and other supplies for designing!"

"Okej! I'll be back in a bit."

Three hours later he returns with a watermelon, the supplies she asked for as well as a case of waterbottles, some packets of lunch meats, a whole bunch of vegetables, a few rolls of bread, some fruits and a bag of chips.

She goes to work on cutting up the watermelon and then make a sallad and a fruitsallad as well as some sandwiches.

"So, when are we going to check the store out?"

"The contractor is meeting me there in an hour so we'll be leaving in a little bit."

"Isn't it a little late to do that right now? I mean, it will be seven pm?"

"It was the only time he had to meet me and I need to get it done as soon as possible. After meeting him I'm going off to scout for one more location for a smaller store were Forrester Bridal will have it's flagship store if we're doing that line as well. You'll come with me on Wednesday to check out the places I feel could possibly be the place, but tomorrow you have the whole day to focus on Hope for the Future."

"But if we are doing Forrester Bridal, wouldn't the flagship store be in LA?"

"No, I've been thinking about moving to Seattle and Forrester Bridal is my baby, just as Memories is Steffy´s and Hope for the Future is yours. So Forrester Bridal will come with me to Seattle if I do move here."

"Oh, okej. I wondered why you needed so long in Seattle."

Thomas just chuckles.

I'm done!

It's four hours later when Steffy gets the call from her brother.

"Hello! Forrester Creations! Steffy Forrester speaking. How can I help?"

"Didn't check who called sis?"

"Hi Thomas! No, I didn't."

"Why are you at work this late?"

"A call with the contractor in London and one with the contractor in Paris, I'm about to go to bed actually!"

"Well, the meeting here in Seattle went really well. The location is exactly what you were asking for and it should be done with the remodeling within the next five weeks."

"That's really good. Did you take a bunch of pictures?"

"I did, Hope did as well and I sent them to your e-mail."

"How's Hope doing?"

"She seems to be doing okey, a little bewildered, but okey."

"Can you let her know that I did what she asked of me and that it went about as good as it could?"

"Sure, I'll let her know tomorrow, she's gone off to bed."

"You'd better get off to bed too!"

"Look who's talking!" Thomas gives a chuckle.

"Good night!"

Thomas says good night and then they hang up, he goes to get ready for bed and as he's doing so, Steffy is sending a text to her boyfriend and her father saying that she'll be sleeping at the office as she's too tired to drive home and leaving the car to take a cab or an uber isn't even in question.

Because she knew that she'd probably have to spend a few nights at the office working she had invested in a fold out couch that has a pretty decent matress and since she'd used it a few times, she knew she'd get a good nights sleep on it.

She locks all the doors to the office and then gets herself ready for bed.

I'm done!

The next morning has Taylor waking up in the poolhouse with an arm around her waist.

They had decided that they were going to explore the relationship before making any serious commitments and it was progressing rather nicely.

"Good morning!" She repositions herself so that she's able to turn her head and look at him.

"G'mornin'." His grumpyness in the morning is one of the things she'd missed most about him.

"This was a nice way to wake up. I like it a lot! We need to get up though. Our son is supposed to go to school today."

"What time is it?"

She turns her head around to the nightstand and checks the time.

"It's 5:30, but we need to get everything ready before he gets up in an hour."

"Can't Bridget do it?"

"Bridget had them yesterday and you need to get up to go into work as well."

"Okey. I'll get up!" He gets out of bed and stalks over to the bathroom.

Taylor walks over to the door and tells him that she'll be in the house and he lets her know he heard her.

I'm done!

Ten minutes later, Bridget walks into the kitchen to the smell of coffee, eggs, bacon and toast.

"Oh, taking out the big guns today?" She walks over to the coffee machine and pours herself a cup, knowing that Nick is on his way up, she puts a cup there for him to use for his coffee.

"No, it's Tuesday today remember!"

"Oh, right. Eggs and bacon-day." Bridget sends off a little laugh. "Good morning by the way!"

"Good morning Bridget! How was your sleep?" Taylor sends off a smile from her position by the stove.

"The boys slept right through the night which means I got a full night of sleep, so I'm good! How about you and Nick?"

"He crashed the moment his head hit the pillow, I got to catch up on my reading for the courses I'm going to be taking. It's fascinating. I'm so glad I decided to take these courses." She turns the bacon over one last time and then turns around to talk to her housemate. "I wish Zach and I got back to our normal relationship though. It's the one thing that's missing."

A plan starts to take form in Bridgets head, she'd need help though and she knows just the person to help her out with it.

"So, what are you doing today?"

"I have a client at 2:30 and another one at 4:00 other then that all I'm doing is read the books I found from the curriculum and find things I feel are important to know and then see if it matches the professors thoughts." Taylor turns around as she's talking to start working on the second batch of eggs as the men of the house were about to come crashing into the kitchen.

And true to form, Nick walks through the door out to the back yard and the two little boys come crashing into the kitchen table still dressed in their pyjamas.

"Hey, when are you two going to remember to not run into the livingroom?" Taylor looks with a smile at Bridget while she tries not to laugh while diciplining the boys.

And just like every other time, Logan walks over to his mother and climbs into her lap getting all cuddly all of a sudden. Although the boys alternate according to who is the one doing the diciplining.

"Maybe it's time we put some padding on the table and chairs?" Taylor tries so hard not to laugh.

"Or, we rearrange the furniture so that it's not as fun to run down the stairs anymore?" Bridget puts her hands over Logans ears while still talking loud enough for him to hear and the effect is noticeable instantly.

His eyes get really big and his mouth opens.

"Momma! Momma! You can't do that!" Jack looks over at his mother pleading with her to not move the furniture around.

"Do you promise to stop running into the table?" Taylor lets her eyes sweep between the two boys making sure she means business.

"Yes Aunt Taylor/momma!" Is heard from the boys.

"Good! Now, it's time for breakfast! Find a plate in the washer and come to me and I'll get you some eggs, bacon and toast! Can you get the milk out of the fridge Nick?"

"I most certainly can!"

The two boys find a plate each and goes to get some food. Taylor places one piece of toast and three slizes of bacon with a pile of eggs on each boys plate while Nick takes out two glasses and pours some milk into them.

Bridget just sits by the table to look at the routine the four have evolved since coming back to LA and she thinks in her head that it was a good decision to move back.

There's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Bridget gets up and goes to answer the door.

"Hey! Good morning! How come you're here this early?" Bridget looks at the man on the other side of the door with surprise in her eyes.

"Well, I needed to speak to Taylor and then I needed to go in to work and this was the only time I had to talk to her."

"Okey, we're eating breakfast right now, but I believe she's going to be at home today for most of the day until noon atleast. Sit down on the couch and I'll go get her."

Bridget walks back into the kitchen and tells Taylor she's got a visitor.

"Who?"

"You'll see!"

Confused, Taylor walks out into the livingroom and is even more confused.

"Wyatt, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I got some news yesterday that I'm not sure I'm handling that well."

"Okey," Taylor walks over to the couch and sits down on it pulling her leg up on the couch so that she's facing Wyatt leaning up against the back rest of the couch with her head in one of her hands. "do you want to tell me right away or do you want some advice on how to handle it better?"

"Hope's back in the States and I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not." He had checked so that the door to the kitchen was closed and the volume of his voice was low.

"Oh, okey. So, tell me. When you first heard about it, what was your first feeling?"

"Ecstatic joy, then my heart felt like it was going to get crushed under it's own weight and then I left. On the way back to the office, I felt confusion, anger and despair."

"Well, I feel like you're working through the emotions quite well. Have you seen her?"

"No, she was whisked off to Seattle with Thomas within a few hours of her arriving yesterday. Apparently she's not comfortable letting the world know she's back yet, but wanted her dad, me and my mom to know that she was so that we could prepare ourselves for if we were to see each other."

"Well, that was nice of her don't you think? Letting you have time to prepare yourself? I think it's a good thing she left for Seattle for you to have the time to come to terms with how you're feeling. There's a lot of things happening with her side of the family right now that she probably felt like she was much more needed here then in Milan."

"I guess." He looks down on his hands.

"So, how are you feeling about it right now? I know you didn't really leave the marriage on particularly good terms."

"I'm happy she's home and I know we need to talk about it, but it just hurts."

"You have a few days to relax yourself and you should probably figure out exactly what you, specifically you, need to talk about. If you want to I can be there when you talk to her. You could talk right here in this house if you want to. Neutral territory and all that."

"Yeah. I will probably need to take you up on that offer. Thank you for talking to me about this. It felt weird being so happy while hurting so bad."

"Oh, that's normal in a situation like this. Well, I don't know what would be normal in a situation like this, but you'll be fine!"

She pulls him into a hug and then he walks towards the door, when he gets there he turns around.

"You'll be fine and if not, I'm here if you need me."

He nods his head and then leaves. She stands there contemplating the information she just received. The words she focus on are that Hope wasn't quite ready to let the world know she was back yet, so she would keep the information to herself until Hope decided it was time to emerge into the world again.

She walks back into the kitchen and sees Bridget looking at her.

"It'll become clear in time." She sends off a small smile and Bridget just nods her head.

"Now, I see our boys have finished their breakfast. Time to put clothes on and go to school!"

The three adults see their boys rush up the stairs to change into their clothes of the day.

I'm done!

A few hours later, Taylor knocks on the door to her daughters office. She hears her daughter call out that she should come in.

"Hi Steffy!" Taylor watches her daughters head snap up. "You waiting for someone?"

"Hi mom!" Steffy smiles. "No, I don't have any meetings planned today so I'm just working numbers right now. How are you doing?"

"I'm good, on my way to the office for a session and another one a little while after that. What I came here to talk about however was something else."

"Really? What might that be?" Steffy picks up a pen and leans back in the chair she's sitting in.

"Yeah, a little birdie came by to see me today and said something about a certain curly haired blonde being back in the States?" Taylor has walked into the office and closed the door as she's talking.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Steffy looks totally confused.

"So, you didn't tell said curly haired blondes ex-husband, ex-mother in law and her father that she's back in the states?"

"Oh!" Steffy realizes what her mother is talking about. "You mean Hope coming back yesterday?"

"Well, yeah? What did you think I was talking about?"

"I have no idea, but just so you know, Hope isn't a blonde anymore. There are a few things that needs to get done before she wants to reveal to the world that she's back, a long hard conversation with Wyatt included." Concern evident in Steffy´s voice and her face.

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. What was her mindset when she came here?" Taylor walks over to the chair across from Steffy at the desk and sits down.

"She seemed like she wanted to make things right with Wyatt and maybe even start a friendship or atleast figure out a way to co exist without ripping each others heads off. She knows what she did was wrong and she shouldn't have done it, especially the wedding and telling him about the baby." Steffy sighs. "There are still feelings there on her part and I know there still are feelings for Hope in Wyatt's heart. I know that I was a big hurdle for Hope and Liam, but Hope has figured out that Liam and her relationship weren't as strong or significant for either of them. Especially since both of them had such an easy time to marry other people."

"Yeah, Wyatt came by to see me this morning and I offered my house as the place for them to meet because it would be neutral territory." Taylor nods her head.

"I think it's a really good idea. I think we should let them both calm down and let her get settled in the guest house before pushing this meeting on them."

"Yeah. Let's do that."

"So, how much time do you have until you need to get to the office for your sessions?"

Taylor checks the time.

"The first one is at 2:30, so I have about three hours."

Steffy nods her head before asking if Taylor wanted to go eat.

"That would be nice, it's been a while so I'd love to spend some time with my daughter."

"Good! Let's go!" Steffy picks up her purse and walks out her office arm in arm with her mother.

Two hours later Steffy walks back into her office to a surprise that puts a big smile on her lips.

On the desk in her office is a big bouquet of roses, they're a dark blood red color and it reminds Steffy of the motorcykle that DJ made her face her fears on.

She finds the card and reads what it says _"All my love! /DJ"_ causing her to smile even more and she realizes he must have thought the same when he saw them.

Steffy goes to sit in her desk chair and then snaps a picture of the roses and sends it to her boyfriend to let him know she got the flowers with a heart attached.

A little while later, someone knocks on the door.

"Come in!" Steffy calls out, her joy evident in the way she speaks.

A head pops through the door with a smile appearing on it at the sight of the smile in Steffy´s eyes.

"Well, I must say, this look fits you much better then the one I saw on your face the last time I came to see you after you had recived roses at your office."

"Well, I would have to agree with you Wyatt!" Steffy chuckles. "So, how are you doing?"

"I take it my step brother is the cause of that smile?" Wyatt chuckles right with her. "I'm good. How are you doing?"

"Well, I've had a wonderfull lunch with my mother, got a surprise from my boyfriend when I came back from lunch and then now one of my other favorite boys came by to see me. How could I not be good?"

"Well, when you put it like that. I'm one of your favorite boys you say?"

"Well, of course, why wouldn't you be? I would've thought that we had created a beautiful friendship." Steffy looks at him with a mischiev in her eyes.

"Of course we have. I was just messing with you."

"I had a feeling." Steffy smiles at him. "So, I heard you went and talked to my mother this morning. Are you doing okey with the information I dumped on you yesterday?"

"Yeah, my little talk with your mother made me see that the feelings I'm feeling are the feelings I'm supposed to be feeling and that I just have to feel them. I was surprised at the level of joy I felt that she was back, the anger I wasn't really surprised that it came."

"That's good!" Steffy sends off a charming smile. "How's your mother doing?"

"She hasn't actually talked to me today so I have no idea." Wyatt starts playing with his hands. "How are you doing yourself? I mean, it can't have been easy seeing the woman who tried to get together with your husband."

"We worked that all out when I was in Paris and she was in Milan. I was happy to see her and then a little concerned when I remembered your history and then even more concerned when I found out she wasn't completely ready to announce to the world just yet. I really wished she would've told me about her coming a little sooner than seeing her in a cab on the way to work. But hey, you can't have everything."

"No, you can't. Have you heard anything from Liam?" The moment he asks the question, he feels this instant regret that he ever asked. Then he sees the smile on Steffy's face.

"I have actually, he's still adamant that I'm still his fiance and that we can work this out, but I've stopped responding to his e-mails and texts weeks ago. I'm secure in my relationship with DJ in a way that I never was with Liam. I know that DJ loves me 100 % all of the time and I don't see that changing any time soon. I never had that with Liam, so I'm in a much better place in my life then four months ago."

"He sent an e-mail to me begging me to save you from DJ because there was no way he would stand for you leaving him for another man."

At that statement, Steffy laughs out loud.

"No need to save me my friend. I didn't leave Liam for another man. I left Liam because of Liam."

"I know, Liam is not very happy that you're supposedly being manipulated into a relationship with this awful man that is just going to tear you down constantly."

"Well, it takes one to know one I guess. However, you don't have to worry about me being manipulated." She points to the roses and hands over the card. "If this is DJ manipulating me, I'll take his manipulations over Liam's love any day of the week."

"I've seen the way you are with each other, there's really no reason to believe he's manipulating you and if he does, he'll have to deal with my father you know. Dad's got your back no matter what!"

"Yeah, Bill has actually been the one man who's been the most supportive of me the last ten years. He's even been more supportive then the men in my own family. But now I have DJ, Bill, Deacon and you and that's really all I need outside of my own family. Dad has started seeing the way he's been treating me has been the wrong thing to do and Thomas is supporting my every move with Memories. Granddad is finally seeing that the take over was needed and that dad and I aren't the big bad wolves he thought we were. Right now, my life couldn't be better!"

"I'm glad and I hope I can say the same soon!" Wyatt sends her one of his beaming smiles.

"I hope so too!" Steffy beams right back at him. "So, what are your plans for the weekend?"

"As of right now it's work, work, work. But if you have something a little more fun to do I'm up for it!"

"Well, DJ and I were thinking about going up to Big Bear on Friday and ski for a few days and we were wondering if maybe you'd like to come with us?"

"Is it going to be just the three of us?"

"No, actually, mom, Nick, Bridget and the boys are coming too. Thomas thought about joining us, but he then realized that he had to much to do. I'm pretty sure he's figuring out a way to tell me about a concept he's working on. He seriously has no clue that I already know about it. I'm thinking it's the reason he wanted to stay in Seattle a little while longer then he needed and then when Hope came back, he just jumped at the chance to spend even more time in Seattle then originally planned. So I'm thinking he plans on revealing his plans to us soon. Anyway, maybe you should ask your mother and Deacon if they want to come? The house in Big Bear has enough rooms for all of us."

"Sure, it sounds fun!"

"It'll also give you some extra time!" She sends off a small smile. "We'll be leaving at seven pm and should be there about two to two and half hours later, depending on trafic."

Wyatt nods his head.

"I'll talk to mom and Deacon and see what they say, but I'm in!"

"Good! Was there anything work related you needed to speak to me about? I noticed you had a bag with you?"

"Yeah, Mom came into my office and dumped it on my desk. Didn't say a word about it and then just left. I took a peak and it looks like it's the designs you asked for that would go together eventhough they were devided between Macy, Darla, Phoebe and Aly."

"Ooh, show me!"

He picks the bag up and walks over to hand it over.

Steffy spends half an hour looking over all eight design sheets and then she looks up.

"These are gorgeous and they go so well together!"

"Mom did a really good job."

"She sure did. I love the way the silver is linked together the same way in all eight of them and the fact that she made two different versions of all of them is amazing."

"I'll let her know you like them and then talk to her about Big Bear!"

"Thank you!" Steffy looks up from the design sheets to send a smile his way. "Let her know that if she wants to talk she knows where to find me!"

They look each other in the eyes and then he walks out the door.

I'm done!

 _Seattle_

"This just isn't working!" Hope tears the sheet out from the bundle and throws it into the trashcan where so many sheets has ended up before.

"What's not working?" Thomas comes around the corner into the living room/kitchen in the apartment at the hotel they're staying at.

"This whole thing. I'm no where near where I should be right now." Hope places her hands to rip her hair out and closes her fist around a couple of strands of hair.

"Maybe you should start on the underwear part of the collection? Start somewhere you haven't been before."

"Yeah, maybe?" She starts drawing a set of three pairs of underwear with a matching set of bralettes. When she looks at the sheet in front of her, she's amazed.

She looks up to see if Thomas is still there, but just as she turned her head up, she hears the door close.

When Thomas returns two and a half hour later, there are more design sheets on the table then in the trashcan.

"Well, looks like my advice helped." He mutters to himself. "Hey Hope! Lunch!"

"Welcome back Thomas!" Hope looks up and beams at him. "Look what I've done!"

She holds up a design sheet with a logo on it.

 _ **Hope for the future!**_

 _ **Happiness today!**_

 _by **Forrester Creations!**_

Thomas just gives a big smile towards his ex stepsister and then sets the table.

Later that day when Hope is off on a bathroom run, Thomas walks over, finds the logo, lays it against the stacks of design sheets, takes a picture and sends it off to his sister in LA.

I'm done!

 _LA, April 6th_

Steffy Forrester had turned off her phone about four hours after Wyatt left and hadn't seen her brothers text until this morning and when she did she got so excited that she squealed, almost tripped over the boxes in her room, smacked intot he doorhandle, screamed and then ran over to her fathers bedroom door and knocked on it as hard as she could.

When Caroline opened the door, Steffy skipped inside and sat down on her fathers side of the door and showed him the picture Thomas had sent her.

All Ridge could do was raise his hand as if to give his daughter a High Five and she obliged before skipping out of the bedroom and heading off to work.

Caroline just stood there with confusion in her eyes.

"What was that about?" She gathers her robe and climbs over the bed to lay down in her husbands arms.

"You'll see soon enough. But a plan Steffy has set in motion in regards to the company is working out quite nicely!" Ridge gives his wife a big hug. "Just like she wanted."

I'm done!

Wyatt walks into his mother office the day after delivering the design sheets to Steffy and sees his mother working furiously on something.

"Hey mom!" Quinn raises her head to look who's talking to her with confusion in her eyes. Then realization hits.

"Oh, hi Wyatt!" She gently shakes her head. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, I brought the designs to Steffy yesterday and she was very pleased with them, as a matter of fact, she loved them all. She also wanted to know if you and Deacon would like to follow her, DJ and I as well as Taylor, Nick, Bridget and their boys to Big Bear for a weekend of skiing?"

"I can't see a reason not to, it would be nice to get away for a while. Let me send a text to Deacon and find out if he's up for it." She sends a text to her husband and is surprised at how quickly he answers.

She holds her phone out, showing her son the resounding "YES!" that's on her phone.

"I'll go and call Steffy to let her know."

"Sound good to me! Just tell me the plan or tell her to send the plan to me!"

"Will do mom! Oh, I almost forgot, she also told me to tell you that if you need to talk, you know where to find her!"

The rest of the day went by less angry then it had started and when the day was finally through, Quinn had settled down a lot. She didn't feel it was enough though. So she decided to take Steffy up on her offer.

So, here she is standing outside of Steffy´s office knocking on her door.

"Come in!" Steffy looks up from her computer when the door opens. "Hi Quinn! How are you doing? Have you seen the email I sent you about Big Bear?"

"Hi Steffy!" Quinn gives a small smile. "Yes, I did see that email, thanks for inviting us! I'm almost okey. I'm so angry for my sons sake, I mean, you know why Wyatt didn't fight for his marriage to Hope."

"I do know that."

"But I'm also so excited because this might mean that they have a real chance at a relationship, especially now that Liam is gone and not able to put these destructive thoughts in Hope´s head."

"It's strange having those two feelings competing for your brainspace isn't it?"

"You have no idea!"

"So, I take it you're here to pick my brain?" Steffy leans her head to one side. "Borrow some space to clear your own brain?"

Quinn just nods her head.

"Okey, let me just tell you this. Hope has expressed feelings of wanting a relationship with Wyatt, what ever it may be, you can tell that she does actually love him. When they were married, she was so tangled up in Liam that she really saw nothing else other then him. Being away in Milan has helped her sort out her feelings and helped her realize that Wyatt is so much better for her then Liam ever was. That's why we're going to have the two of them talk to each other about everything that happened between them at some point in the future when Hope is ready to reveal that she's back in the states. We're going to let her get settled in my and Thomas´s guest house and then we'll bring her to mom´s house and Hope and Wyatt will get to talk. Based on what I've heard from both of them, a relationship between them with marriage and kids is inevitable. They just need to talk to each other. And you need to stay away from it."

Quinn gasps.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, I know you were a big part in breaking them up beside the part of Hope telling Liam about the pregnancy first. You need to let them handle this, leave them alone and it will all work out just fine."

"Okey. I'll leave them be."

"That's good. If you ever feel like you need to talk, I'm here." Steffy smiles. "Now, I don't think we'll see each other until Friday, so I'll see you then if there wasn't anything else you needed?"

"No, I think I'm good for now." Quinn thinks a little about it. "Yeah, no, I'll see you Friday! Oh, also, I'm glad you liked the designs!"

"Of course I did, they were gorgeous! I think you could start manufacturing them any minute now."

"Awesome, this vacation will be even more needed then." Quinn smiles.

"Do you want to see the packaging they will be displayed in?"

Quinn nods her head frantically, which causes Steffy to laugh. She then takes out four different coloured boxes in five different formats. The top part is see through and the base part is in a different color based on which woman it would honor.

"Which box do you think represents which woman?"

There was a dark forrest green one, an earthy orange one, a bright jewel toned pink and a turqoise coloured one.

"Well, the orange one is so obviously Darla, the pink one is Phoebe, Macy´s is the forrest green one and Aly´s is the turqoise one."

"That they are." Steffy turns them over to show Quinn the dedication that's printed in gold on Darla and Macy´s boxes and silver on Aly and Phoebe´s.

"You've really thought about this for a really long time haven't you?"

"Yeah, Aly wasn't part of Memories from the start because she wasn't dead yet, but then she died and I needed to get all this in motion. I've been planning for this line for over two years."

This information causes Quinn's jaw to drop. "That long?"

"Yeah, well, I kept coming up with additional ideas and all of a sudden there was to much for me to keep in my head so I needed to let it out and here we are!"

"You really are something aren't you?"

"Well, I'd like to think so!"

"Oh, believe it darling!" Quinn sends a huge smile Steffy´s way. "At one time I actually thought you and Wyatt would make a nice couple, but then I saw the way you looked at DJ and there was no way I would try to lure out a relationship out of the two of you."

"Well, thank you for containing yourself!" Steffy laughs a little. "Thank you for thinking I'd be good enough for your son! But I think we both know that Wyatt is all about Hope!"

"We do know that don't we?"

Both of them nod.

I'm done

 **AN:**

 **So, Big Bear and home coming from Seattle next chapter.**

 **If you're wondering why Ridge, Caroline and Douglas aren't coming to Big Bear, they just don't have time right now, you know, what with being in New York and all that.**

 **Neither of the people going actually do, but they need it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

 **There is a bunch of jumping back and forth at the beginning of this chapter, don't be alarmed by that, it was intentional!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter twelve**

 _On a plane between Seattle and LA_

 _April 10th 2016_

The trip to Seattle had been eventful.

Thomas had decided that the second location he had been checking out for Brides by Forrester Creations had been the one and now he needed to talk to his sister, father and granddad about it.

Hope had managed to revamp the entire Hope for the Future-line after many hours of frustration and hair pulling, although none of her hair had actually left her head. But the end result was gorgeous.

Because they had been so productive, they decided to stay in Seattle one more day and look at places for Thomas to consider living in. They found three possible places for him to live in, two apartments and a small house on the outskirts of town.

It may have been a form of procrastination because Hope wasn't ready to be face to face with Wyatt yet and Thomas wasn't entirely ready to reveal his dreams yet, but neither of them were willing to admit that.

Thomas knew that there would probably be some difficulty with the house that he shares with Steffy, but that had been sorted out when Hope offered to buy his share of the house if it came to that. Both of them knew that DJ was more then likely to move in with Steffy soon either way, but it would give Hope a more permanent place to live and she wouldn't have to search for a place of her own.

When Thomas remembered that Steffy, DJ, their mom, Bridget, Nick and the boys were supposed to go to Big Bear that weekend and after checking with Steffy and finding out that Deacon, Wyatt and Quinn were coming with them, hiding Hope would be even easier.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm nervous, but at ease at the same time. It's kind of strange actually." Hope looks up from the book she's reading at Thomas question.

"Well, it'll be okey. There may be screaming, accusations and insults thrown about, but you just remember that those are things that needs to happen. You handled your marriage to Wyatt ending really badly and the events that set that in motion were even worse. He needs to tell you how he feels before you can express yourself and you need to listen to him."

"Yeah, I know." Hope starts reading the book again before mumbling. "Sometimes I just wish we could skip past all that and start building us again."

"Yeah, but skipping forward means you don't know what happened between now and then and that might mean you make a fool out of yourself and a disaster of your life because of you not knowing."

"Yeah, your right." Hope looks at him from over the top of the book. "When did you get so smart?"

"Oh, I always have been, you've just been to busy checking out my muscles to notice." At the look of embarrasment on Hope´s face, Thomas starts laughing. "You really thought I didn't notice?"

"Well, I thought I was a little better at hiding it than I was apparently."

"Well, since I know you're desperately in love with Wyatt, I'm just going to let it slide. If you hadn't been, I might have made a play for you again, although it might not be appropriate."

Hearing that he knows she's desperately in love with Wyatt makes her think about what she's feeling. Although she's flattered by him possibly making a play for her, knowing that he knew something she didn't about herself was mindblowing.

"I think I can take it that you weren't aware of that fact by the look currently on your face?"

Hope just shakes her head as tears start flowing down her face.

"Oh, Hope. Are you really sure that a friendship with Wyatt will be enough?" He walks over to her and gives her a hug.

"I don't know. I need to sort all of this out before coming to terms with it."

"Well, I think it'll be just fine."

I'm done!

 _April 8_ _th_ _2016_

At 6:15, Wyatt is putting his, his mothers and Deacons bags in the car, yes, they were only going to be gone for two days, but they were going to go sking and sking meant that you needed warm clothes with you.

He walks back into the house and calls out for his mother and her husband.

Quinn comes walking from the bedroom with Deacon follwing her.

"You two ready to go?" He lifts his eyebrows to let them know he knew exactly what they were doing in there.

"We are. Have you talked to DJ and Steffy yet so they know we're coming to pick them up?" Quinn questions her son.

"I have. So, who's driving?"

"That would be me I think." Deacon proclaims.

"Good, then I don't have to." Wyatt laughs at the look on his mothers face. "Now, let's go!"

He herds them out to the car and they're on the way.

They make a stop at the Forrester Mansion and picks up DJ and Steffy, then they're off.

"So, how do you think BNT and the kids are doing?" Wyatt directs his question at Steffy.

"I think they're doing okey, I can't see a reason why they wouldn't be." Steffy sends a smile Wyatt´s way. "Okey, so, mom and Nick have the master bedroom, Deacon and Quinn will have the room to the right of the master, mine and DJ´s room is across the hall from Deacon and Quinns room, just to the right of the staircase. Logan and Jack will share one of the rooms down the hall, you and Bridget will have to fight them for them, there is one more room on the top floor of the house, I'm guessing Bridget would want that room, then there's a room off the side of the livingroom on the floor where you enter the house. I'm thinking you might want that room Wyatt."

Wyatt nods his head as does his mother and stepdad.

The car ride to Big Bear was mostly spent in silence after that. The only noice made was when Steffy called her mother to find out who was going to do the grocery shopping for the weekend and finding out that they'd meet up at the store in town before the turn up to the cabin.

I'm done!

 _April 10th 2016_

 _LA_

 _Outside of Steffy and Thomas house._

"I'm just going to go check on the progress in the guesthouse and see if we can put you there for a while." Thomas parks the car and unhooks his seatbelt and goes to get out.

Hope just nods her head.

Ten minutes later, Thomas comes back.

"Yeah, they should be done on Monday, so we'll have to wait. They're installing the dishwasher, fridge and freezer right now and the paint and wallpaper is going up on Monday morning." Thomas looks to his right to see how Hope would take the news.

"Okey. So, which guesthouse were you thinking of?"

"Well, actually, since Steffy will be gone until Monday and dad and Caroline aren't at home either, I figured you could live in her room, as long as you don't make to much noice, I mean, the revamp of Hope for the Future is already done. I'll make sure you've got headphones and stuff to reduce the sounds coming from there. It's only two days. You could continue make more designs, start on the next seasons?"

"Okey, yeah, I can do that." Hope smiles at Thomas. "Have you heard anything about how Wyatt is doing?"

"I have. But I'm not going to talk about it because you need to hear from him how he's doing. I believe mom and Steffy have something planned for Sunday in two weeks. That way you've got time to settle down and Wyatt can sort out his feelings."

"He's really angry with me isn't he? He was so dejected when I saw him last when he came with the divorce papers, he must have been so angry with me."

"Would you blame him if he was?" Thomas raises his eyebrows waiting for her answer.

"No, I wouldn't. Not when I was so angry with Liam for not cutting Steffy out of our lives."

"Well, that would've been difficult don't you think?"

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing, you share siblings and aside from that you are part of the same family. Also, Bill has always had a soft spot for Steffy, so she'd be a part of your life no matter what you did."

"Yeah, I realize that now, but back then it was so hard so see beyond the fact that the bond shared between Liam and Steffy was to strong for him to cut her out. It didn't matter what we were doing, if Steffy turned up, his eyes would drift towards her all the time. Especially if I was talking. He'd get this distant look in his eyes and just as his eyes found hers, a smile would form on his lips."

"Well, that right there should've told you that he's not what you want. If Liam had used force in his words when he told Steffy to stop, Steffy would've moved on. But he kept sending those signals. Oliver was so adamant that he didn't want Steffy that she just let that go. She was sitting right on top of him and he said no, sure, Steffy was disappointed and when she found out about Brooke and Oliver getting it on at your graduation party, she decided that now was the time to get revenge. Then Ridge told her to make that tribute to your mother and Liam happened and all that crap."

"Yeah, I know. Atleast we both know now that Liam isn't what either of the two of us need. It's a good feeling to have."

"I know." Thomas smiles at her mysteriously.

"How?"

"Well, I've just recently gotten over my very own Spencer, so..." Thomas shrugs his shoulders.

"Right." Hope nods her head causing the ringlets of her curls to bounce.

I'm done!

 _April 10th_

 _Big Bear/New York_

The rest of the weekend turned out to be everything that Steffy had wanted the weekend to be. Cosying up by the fireplace in her boyfriends arms, flying down the hills on her skis, sleeping in her boyfriends arms and watching Wyatt, Quinn and Deacon relax with not a care in the world. Watching Logan and Jack trying to ski had been so much fun as well. But the funniest part of everything was watching her uncle try to stand on his feet on the skiis instead of falling on his behind every few feet.

Unfortunately, the weekend ended far to soon and it was almost time to go home.

On the other side of the country, Ridge and Caroline had been spending a lot of time with Caroline´s mothers while Karen and Danielle gushed over the little boy their daughter had brought home.

Ridge and Rick had spent the early hours looking at the location for the store and then Rick had followed them to the Spencer apartment and spent time with Ridge and Caroline together with Karen and Danielle.

No one said anything about Steffy ending her engagement to Liam nor the fact that Liam had reached out to all of them trying to get them to protect Steffy from DJ, until Danielle spilled the beans.

"Why would he call you two? How does he imagine that the two of you could 'protect' Steffy from DJ? You both live in New York." Caroline laughs a little at the stupidity of her cousin.

"Yeah, well, he hasn't been that smart lately has he?" Ridge interjects. "So, how long do we have before Liam returns to LA?"

"Oh, trust me, we're keeping him here for atleast a year, so you've got about nine months."

"Well, when he finds out the latest evolvement he might feel the need to come back sooner and I'm going to need you to keep him here. He can not come back to LA until an issue is resolved. What that issue is I can't talk about right now."

Everyone just nods their heads knowing that they'll find out sooner or later.

I'm done!

 _The next day._

 _On the way from Big Bear_

Steffy was looking forward to coming home although she did want to stay in Big Bear for a while longer, but she knew that the progress of all of the lines needed to be monitored. Work was probably piling up and she needed to get to it.

Then there was the line Thomas so clearly was working on.

She had called the company that was handling the renovations on the house and the guesthouse had just gotten it's last coat of paint and it was ready to move into.

Right now she was sitting in the car on her way back from Big Bear about to send a text to her brother.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Wyatt sends a smile over at his former sister in law.

"Well, the guest house is done and I needed to tell my brother." Steffy sends a shy smile Wyatt's way.

"Oh, okey." Wyatt turns around to look out the window of the car after realizing why Steffy needed to tell her brother.

The flash of hurt that Steffy could see in his eyes were enough for her to know what they were doing was the right thing. She also realized that there was a marriage in Wyatt's future, but the work that needed to be done to get there was massive.

She reaches out and takes his hand, he turns his head at the sudden contact, but then he tightens the hold on her hand and she knows it's what he needed at that point in time.

"Don't worry, it'll work itself out." Wyatt nods his head at her statement.

"Sometimes I just wish we could fast forward to the good times."

DJ then says something that his girlfriends brother had told his sister just moments before.

"Yeah, but skipping forward means you don't know what happened between now and then and that might mean you make a fool out of yourself and a disaster of your life because of you not knowing."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Quinn and Deacon are sitting in the front listening to what their kids, step kids and son/stepson´s girlfriend is talking about. They turn their heads to look at each other and gives each other smiles and then their hands naturally gravitates towards each other.

Steffy manages to sneak a glance at her possible future father in law through the inside review mirror and he nods his head showing his support for how she's handling both the situation as well as Wyatt´s emotions.

I'm done!

The text reaches Thomas just as he's about to take their bags out of the trunk of the car as they had been to tired to do it the day before.

Taking his phone out of his back pocket and reading the text, he places Hope's back in the trunk and takes his inside.

"Hey, I thought you said you were getting our bags?" Hope looks out from Steffy´s room.

"Well, I was, but as I was taking mine out, Steffy sent me a text letting me know that the guest house is ready, so if you want we can get you situated over there right now."

"Sounds good to me. Do you think I should leave the design sheets in Steffy´s room?"

"Well, you either leave them there or we'll take them in to the office while getting your bags."

"I'll leave them at the office then. So when are you going to tell Steffy, your father and grandfather about Forrester Bridal?"

"That will happen tomorrow. So, should we go to Forrester Creations and get the bags from Steffy´s office?"

"Yes, let's go."

So Hope packs up her toiletries and then comes down the stairs to leave. They lock the house and walk over to the car and leaves just as Ridge, Caroline and Douglas comes back.

"Hey!" Caroline starts pointing towards her stepsons car. "Who's that girl in Thomas´s car?"

"That's part of the 'you'll see soon'-thing I told you before we left."

Caroline wasn't entirely sure she was happy with her husband keeping secrets from her, but she knew he wasn't keeping something from her that would cause damage to their marriage so she let it go.

"Do you think that they had a good time in Big Bear?"

"Yeah, I haven't heard anything else. I think it's something they all needed."

Over at Forrester Creations, Thomas had opted for Hope to stay in the car and brought the stack of designs to put on his sisters desk and then pulled Hope´s bags from their hiding spot. He says Hi! to Pam on his way out and then goes down to the car and starts driving to his childhood home.

"I can't believe I'm going to live here again." Hope says as she looks out the window towards the house where she lived when she was just a little girl.

"Well, here we are!" Thomas turns his head towards the woman in the passenger seat. "You ready?"

"Yeah. I am. Maybe not for next Sunday, but I'll survive."

"I understand." Thomas nods his head. "Now, I got a text from mom while at Forrester Creations that you need to write a letter for Wyatt explaining how you feel and then you'll get to talk about those letters next Sunday. That way you'll be a little prepared before the day."

"Okey, when should it be ready?"

"You've got until this Sunday to write it and then you'll get to read his letter after that and he gets to read your letter. You should focus on that this week and not think about much else."

"I'll do that then. Do you know when you and Steffy are moving into the house?"

"Steffy´s side is mostly done, so she'll be in by the end of the week and my side, or your possible side rather, should be done by the start of next month."

"Okey!" Hope nods her head. "I'll get started on that letter once I've unpacked my suitcases."

"Good, I'll just leave you then after we've taken the suitcases in." Thomas parks the car and gets out of the car and opens the trunk.

Hope gets out of the car and walks back towards Thomas and picks up the suit case she brought with her to Seattle while Thomas took all the others.

They walk down the side of the house on the walkway leading towards the backyard of the house and the pool and former poolhouse, which had been transformed into the guesthouse.

"Oh, it looks like a smaller version of the big house." Hope´s jaw drops in surprise and awe. "It's gorgeous. I didn't think it'd be that elaborate."

"Well, we felt like it should be a self sufficient house, in case there was someone who wanted to live here."

"Thank you for that!"

"You're welcome." He hands over the keys after having let her in and placed the suitcases on the couch in the front room. "Remember the letter! I got to go to work! See you later!"

Hope goes and sits down on the couch after Thomas leaves and starts thinking about what she'll write in the letter. She opens the suitcase that she carried inside and takes out a design sheet and a pen.

Once she starts she can't stop and all of a sudden the entire design sheet is covered on both sides. Reading everything over, she realizes that it's to much to put on Wyatt right now, so she takes out another design sheet and writes just a few lines.

 _Hello Wyatt!_

 _First of all I want to say that I hope you are doing good and that you, your mother and my father are doing okay with the news of my return to the states._

 _Second of all I just want to tell you that I'm so very sorry for the way I handled our marriage and the end of it. I treated you so unfairly and I really shouldn't have done what I did. I shouldn't have just walked out on you the way I did after we lost our son, all I could think about back then was that I needed to punish Liam for what he did to me._

 _I have since come to realize that most of what I blamed Liam for, I actually caused myself and this realization has caused me to rethink the feelings I know I have for you. Thomas has also helped me realize something about my feelings that I didn't know I have, but you don't need to know that right now._

 _I just need you to know that I'm sorry for everything and that I hope we can form some sort of relationship not based on anger, if only for the sake of our parents._

 _I hope you know just how sorry I am that I let Liam dictate so much in the relationship I had with you and that I didn't think about us first instead of what Liam might think._

 _I screwed up and I'm so sorry for that!_

 _/Hope Logan_

Two hours in, she has managed to condence the letter into a little shorter then her second attempt and it had so much meaning in it.

She sent a text to Steffy to ask that she comes and reads what Hope had written and if it was okay to take the letter to Wyatt.

Two hours later, Steffy walked through the door of the guest house to check on Hope, DJ was with her as well.

"Hi! How are you doing?"

"Hi!" Hope says with a shy smile on her face. "This letter was very hard to write, but I'm okey. How are you doing? How was Big Bear?"

"We're good, a little tired, but good. I saw the stack of designs you left at the office, they're really good! Big Bear was just what we needed. All of us. How was Seattle?" Steffy walks over to the couch to sit down next to Hope and DJ quickly followed.

"Seattle was awesome. We got a lot done."

"Good!"

Both girls lean back against the back of the couch and hold each others hands.

"Have I told you lately that I'm sorry for what I said about Ridge choosing my family over yours?"

In fact, Hope had never apologized for that so Steffy is taken by the moment.

"No, but I accept your apology. You didn't really handle that situation all that good either. You know with turning your back on dad when he supported Liam and I's marriage."

"I've got so many people to apologize to." Hope gives a big sigh.

"Yeah, but lets focus on fixing your relationship with your step brother."

Hope nods her head and then stretches to pick up the letter she had written to hand it over to Steffy.

When Steffy has finished reading, she hands it over to DJ for him to read it as well while Steffy is drying her tears.

"I think you've got everything you needed across, you take responsibility for what you did wrong and not once do you blame him for anything. I know that you both made mistakes in how you began and ended and it's good that you take responsibility for your part without putting any blame on him."

"This is a good letter!"

"Thank you!"

Hope has Steffy´s hand in one of her hands and DJ´s in the other.

"Thank you for coming."

"Of course." DJ smiles at his younger sister.

"Now, we need to leave because we're having a barbeque at the mansion in about fifteen minutes."

Steffy can see the hurt flash through Hope´s eyes at the mention of a barbeque.

"We'll have another one when you're ready for the world!"

Hope nods her head.

I'm done!

 _Tuesday April 12th_

 _Forrester Creations_

The day before had been quite emotional, draining and today would probably do the same.

It starts with a knock on the door of her office.

"Come in!" Steffy raises her eyes from the computer as the person on the other side of the door enters. "Well, hello! What can I do for you?"

"Well, you can bring my son home from New York, fix his marriage and buy my house back."

"Have you talked to your son lately?" Steffy fixes Brooke´s eyes with hers causing Brooke´s anger to rise, but Brooke to shrink.

"No, I haven't, he's in New York remember?" Brooke places her arms over her chest.

"Never heard of the phone have you?" Steffy picks up a pen and starts tapping it on the back of the stack with Hope for the Future-designs in annoyance.

"Of course I have!"

"Well then, how about you call him some time. When I talked to him earlier this morning he hadn't heard from you at all since he moved."

"Why would you call Rick? Nothing he does is any of your concern, you're not the CEO of this company!"

"I may not be the CEO, but I am the second largest share holder of this company and I am in charge of the PR of all of the lines this company produces so I do actually have to call your son once in a while."

Brooke scoffs. "Yeah, right."

"So, how are your sisters doing?"

"Why is that any of your business?"

"I guess you're right about that."

"So, how's Nick doing?"

"Why is that any of your business?"

"Well, he's the father of my son."

Steffy laughs.

"So, now your son is important enough to remember? Don't worry, Nick is happy and Jack is as well. Nick and mom have found their way back to each other and the love they share is true."

"What do you mean Nick and your mom have found their way back to each other? Isn't Taylor still with Thorne in Paris?"

"Why is it any of your business who Nick is dating or if mom is still in Paris with Thorne?"

"He's the father of my son! Why would it not be my business?"

"Well then, tell me, who took Jack to school this morning? What did he eat for breakfast?"

"How do you expect me to know this?"

"Well, I know the answer to both those question, so why shouldn't you?" Steffy raises her eyebrows and dares Brooke to answer the questions.

"Well, I don't know the answer to that."

"Why do you then expect to get information on something you have no idea about?"

Brooke just sighs and stomps out the door slamming said door as she leaves.

A mass text is sent out.

 **From: Steffy**

 **To: Dad, Thomas, Quinn, Granddad, Wyatt, Mom, Bridget, Hope**

 _ **Brooke is on the war path, please don't expose precious things!**_

She gets responses from all of them within five minutes saying thanks for the warning.

I'm done!

Donna Logan had been in hiding for the last few days, Brooke had been hounding her about going to visit Nick and Jack and Donna really didn't want to go see them together with Brooke. So she had kept her distance and kept herself hidden.

The last two weeks had been strange for her as the realization that Brooke was going to fall into the darkness of their mothers illness came crashing into her.

Since her divorce from Justin a few years ago she had put her love life on hold and she didn't see that changing any time soon.

When Eric called her to tell her that Bridget was back in LA, she was surprised that she was back, but she was even more surprised when she found out just how long Bridget had been back in LA, but after thinking about it she realized that Bridget probably had good reasons for not letting people know she was back. She didn't find any reasons to be mad at her niece for not letting her know that she was back.

At the moment, Donna Logan was on her way to Il Gardino to have lunch with her former husband. She reaches the restaurant and walks in, sees him sitting at his favorite table and when she looks at him sadness runs through her body at the way they ended things.

She knew that listening to Bill about taking half of Eric´s shares was a move she shouldn't have done and with the way things had progressed, she was angry with her self because those shares that she'd gotten in the divorce and sold to Bill had now ended up in the hands of one Steffy Forrester.

She walks over to the table where Eric is sitting and as he rises to great her, she moves in to give him a hug. She breaths in the smell of her former husbands cologne and she knows she's safe.

"How are you doing?" Eric lets her go and sees her sit down before he sits down again.

"I'm doing okey, nothing to complain about. My new job is what I needed and my apartment is amazing!" Donna gives Eric a big smile that actually reaches her eyes. "The results of the DNA-test was a bit confusing, but at least I don't have the gene. Bridget being back was a little bit of a surprise, but she probably had very good reasons for not telling us."

"She does actually, but I think you should talk about them with her. With Nick and Taylor back together I believe she's ready to let Brooke know she's back."

"What do you mean Nick and Taylor are back together? Isn't Taylor in a relationship with Thorne? And isn't Taylor living in Paris?"

"No, actually, Taylor and Thorne haven't been in a relationship for over a year now and as such, Taylor felt like she could take the job offered by the Medical Center that Bridget is working for as they open an affiliate practice here in LA. Bridget and Taylor are going to run the place together and they seem to be doing it very well."

Their food arrives.

"I hope you don't mind that I ordered before you got here."

"Of course not, you know what I want when I eat here so I figured you would." The smile on her lips don't quite reach her eyes. "Now, what's this about Taylor and Nick being back together?"

"Well, they're all living in Taylor´s house, Nick in the poolhouse, Taylor in Jack´s former room, Jack and Logan in the master bedroom and Bridget is living in the guestroom. But apparently Bridget has been working behind the scenes to get 'Ticky'.." Eric gives a chuckle as he says the nickname his daughter had come up with. "..back together and apparently all they needed was Taylor running into her nephew in the College library causing them to have to confront their fears and feelings for each other."

"Oh." The disappointment evident on her face that Nick was unavaliable to her sister.

"Oh, don't look like that. Brooke caused that marriage to fail and then when it was over, she went straight back to Ridge after telling Nick that they had their chance now that Jack was their son biologically." Eric looks at her.

"Right." She's not entirely sure that that's what actually happened, but as she's only heard Brooke´s side of the story maybe it did. "So, what did you need to see me about?"

"I just wanted to catch up, I had some time in between design sheets and decided that I should see how you were doing, I haven't seen much of you lately."

"Yeah, well, since Ridge and Steffy took over the company and Steffy buying Bill´s shares I don't see the point."

"You know, I was so angry with them for doing the take over, but getting punched in the gut with the evidence of my son´s mistreatment of the employes and my granddaughter made me see that it was entirely needed and with the secrets currently brewing at the company I can't see how they won't make Forrester Creations a company to be reconned with again."

"Well, as long as you're happy I'm good!"

"I don't have anything to be mad about right now!" Eric smiles at his ex-wife.

"That's good!"

"Right? Life is so good right now! My son had a baby, I'm designing again, my other son is having a baby although he's not going to be raising it, but he's happy none the less. Thorne has found love again and it seems like a wedding in Paris is in my future."

"How fun!"

"It's going to be nice to see him happy again."

I'm done!

About an hour after Brooke had left her office, there was another knock on the door and when the person on the other side of the door peaked their head through the door, Steffy could see that her brother was nervous.

"Hi!"

"Well, hello big brother!"

"So, I need to talk to you about something!"

"Does this have to do with Seattle?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, big brother, I know everything. I guess you don't remember what happened summer two years ago when someone got a little too drunk?"

Thomas just shakes his head.

"So, you're about to tell me about your baby? Do you want me to call dad here as well?"

"Yeah, it might be good."

So, she calls their father to come. He walks through the door five minutes later.

"Now, show us those designs!" Steffy announces as Ridge sits down in the other chair across from her.

Thomas hands them each a pack of designs.

Steffy looks up from the designs to check what her father thinks.

"These are good! What's your plan?"

"Well, I want to move to Seattle to set up a showroom with a sewing studio attached and maybe do custom designed dresses as well as our season lines."

"What about your part in the house?"

"Well, there's a woman living in our guesthouse right now that have expressed the desire to buy my part of the house."

"Well, you've thought this through it seems. Will you be doing bridal lingerie as well?"

"My plan was to make Forrester Bridal a sister shop to the Forrester Boutiques so I'm thinking everything. Dresses, lingerie, shoes, make up, skin care and all that."

"Okej, so maybe the skin care line could be a permanent Forrester line as could the make up, that way we don't have to have different packages or different promotions?" Ridge offers as a suggestion.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Steffy agrees and then she thinks about it. "Can't we choose from the shoe line and make those shoes a more bridal color as well?"

"So the shoe line should be a permanent line as well?" Ridge looks over at his daughter.

"Yeah and then have limited edition patterns and colors for Memories and Bridal?"

"That is a good idea. But we'd need to employ a shoe designer and shoe makers then?"

"Well, we actually already have a shoe designer in our arsenal but I don't know if she'd do it."

"Who?"

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **And who is this mysterious shoe designer? Let's just say she appeared together with her sisters brother and father a few chapters ago!**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

 **I can't believe it's been a year already!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter thirteen**

 _April 22_ _nd_

 _Paris._

She had had the feeling for a few weeks now, but she hadn't wanted to check it out until today.

She's currently sitting at the table in the kitchen in her bathrobe with the test in one of the pockets.

Thorne walks into the kitchen with a smile on his face. She knows it's been almost nine very difficult months since his daughter died, but the news should brighten his days at least a little bit.

He walks over to give her a kiss.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning! I have something I need to talk to you about." She's acting like what she wants to talk about something really serious.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Thorne looks at her with concern in his eyes. "You're not breaking up with me, are you? Veronica, you're scaring me!"

"Where are we headed?" Veronica looks at him with nothing but love.

Thorne feels the burning sensation in his pocket.

He picks up a ring and presents it to his girlfriend.

"Well, I was hoping that marriage and children would be in our future. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?"

"I most certainly will, but you need to let me know what you think about this first." She picks the test and presents it to him.

"Are you sure?" He says with wonder in his eyes.

"About as sure as seven different tests from different brands that all say I'm pregnant I can be."

He almost runs around the table and picks her up kissing her deeply. She puts her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and he begin spinning them around.

She lets her lips lift off his.

"Are you happy?"

"Happier than I've been in months!"

"Good! I am too!" Veronica smiles big at her fiancé. "So, who do you want to tell first?"

"Well, actually, I want to tell Taylor first and then we'll tell your parents. If that's okay with you?"

"Of course, it is honey." She watches him leave the kitchen with a cup of coffee to go and call his ex.

I'm done!

 _April 21_ _st_

 _LA_

The phone had called Taylors attention to it and as she picked up, she disappeared.

"Hey, where did Taylor go?" Nick looks around when he got back from the bathroom.

"Her phone started ringing and she left to take the call. Maybe it's to do with this secret project she has going on with Steffy and Wyatt?" Bridget offers as an explanation.

"Maybe." Nick is still giving a light frown as he goes to sit on the couch.

"Anyway, it's getting kind of late so maybe it's time for bed?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Just as they're about to leave, Taylor walks back in with one of the biggest smiles on her face.

"Well, I take it that was a good phone call?" Nick smiles at Taylor.

"Yeah, it was. Guess who's having a baby!" Taylor looks at Bridget with a big smile on her lips.

"No, really?" Bridgets face lights up with glee at the news. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, they're also getting married!"

These news causes Bridget to run over to Taylor and bring her into a big hug.

"So, we're going to a wedding soon? Are they getting married before the baby comes or after?"

"Well, he just proposed an hour or so ago so I don't think either he or Veronica has thought about it just yet."

"Ooh, I'm gonna be an aunt again."

Taylor walks over to Nick who's looking confused and nods her shoulder against his arm.

"Thorne is getting married and having a baby."

"Does dad know?" Bridget stops in her glee at being an aunt again.

"Well, as I said, he proposed maybe an hour ago and apparently I was the first they called, after he hung up with me, they were going to call Veronicas parents, I'm guessing your father is next after that."

Bridget just nods her head.

"Yeah, maybe, well I'm gonna go to bed now!"

Bridget heads off to her bedroom with a twinkle in her eyes.

Taylor turns her head from watching Bridget almost skip to her bedroom to looking at Nick.

"So, are you going to come with me or go to the pool house?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go to the pool house, last night drained me a bit." He says with a chuckle letting her know he's just messing around.

She responds by pushing him towards the door to the pool house chuckling right along with him before turning around and going to bed.

I'm done!

Wyatt had been reading her letter over and over and over and over again for days now and he wondered if maybe she was doing the same with the letter he had written to her.

When Quinn walked in on him reading the letter for the fourth time that day, she had this desperate need to read what her stepdaughter had written in the letter to her son. But she remembered the promise she had made to Steffy that she wasn't going to interfere.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Quinn waves her hand in front of her sons face.

Wyatt looks up from the letter.

"I don't know. The letter was a good start, but I'm so nervous about what's going to happen on Sunday."

"I understand, but you just have to let it happen the way it does."

"When did you start believing that I should just let things happen the way they will?"

"Well, I had a talk with Steffy a couple of weeks ago and she told me some things. Things I needed to hear, so here I am laying the future in the hands of the future!"

Wyatt nods his head.

"There is one thing I wanted to talk to you about though."

"What's that mom?"

"Well, I found something out yesterday and I'm a little scared."

"Why?" Wyatt looks up at his mother with worry on his face.

"Well..." She than places the stick in front of him.

" **What?** Are you serious? What does Deacon think about this?"

"I never thought I'd get to experience this again and maybe now that we're in a much better place, this baby might be a good thing." Quinn scratches her head. "Deacon is just as scared as I am, I mean, I'm not as young as I was when I had you, but I also know that there are more people to help with this baby than when I had you!"

"Yeah. The father for instance! You have the support of a man who's never been able to be there for his children during their childhood before. Amber took off with DJ and Brooke cut him out completely from Hopes life, you couldn't have chosen a better man as the father of your child. However, making me and the love of my life share a sibling is a little bit much don't you think?" Than he thinks about what he just said and is surprised by his own words.

Quinns jaw drops to the floor.

"Well, I think you're ready for Sunday!"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, you just called Hope the love of your life while your eyes twinkled and with a straight face, there was no hurt or sadness displayed anywhere on your face!"

The shock on his face does increase.

"Oh. Okay! Maybe I am."

"Well, I think you are. But how do you feel about this baby?"

"I think it's great mom! I'm guessing you'll be closely monitored while pregnant?" He looks over at his mother to see her nod. "Who else knows?"

"Deacon waited to call Hope until I had left home so she should have found out by now, DJ will be told at dinner tonight and Steffy is more than likely following him there."

"Okay. I'll come too if I can?"

"Sounds good to me! I'll see you than. Now you need to get back to work!" She points her finger at him before turning it around in a circle to drive the point home.

"Yeah, I've been neglecting work, haven't I?"

"You have, but I've known the reasons for it so no worries." Quinn walks over to the other side of the desk and gives him a kiss on his forehead. "You just get back to work now!"

"Will do, mom and you need to stop worrying about this baby, it will be loved and you've got a bigger support group now than you had back in the day." He then waves her good bye and gets started.

I'm done!

Hope Logan had been happy when Thomas called her to tell her that he would be exploring Seattle even more.

She was however a little unsure about Sunday, she had been reading his letter so much the folding had started to tear apart.

The words he had written brought tears to her eyes every time she read them. Reading just how much she had hurt him opened her eyes to a world of hurt she had never experienced herself. Whatever she thought she had been through with Liam and Steffy, it just wasn't even close to what he had experienced hearing his brother ask, in not so many word, that she abort his child or not tell him about the pregnancy at all.

When she hears the knock on the door, she goes to answer only to see her father on the other side.

"Hi dad! How are you?" She greets him with a hug.

"Hi Hope! I'm doing okay, how are you?" He can see that she's been crying.

"It was hard reading the letter Wyatt wrote for me, it opened me up to the fact that my relationship with Liam was not what I thought it was. If you're not in love with someone, you don't hurt like that and my relationship with Liam never made me hurt like that. I really screwed that up, daddy!" Her voice breaks at the end and tears starts falling down her cheeks.

They have started to walk into the combined kitchen/living room and he sees the folded paper on the table next to a stack of design sheets.

He points towards the design stack. "Looks like Seattle was productive?"

"Yes, Thomas was a great help with that. I think I might have ruined about twenty-seven design sheets before Thomas told me to work on something outside my comfort zone and everything just flowed out, I haven't been able to stop designing since the dam broke." She says with a smile though tears are still trickling down her face.

"So, the next season is already done I take it?" "Deacon looks over at his daughter to see her nod her head. "That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm working on next years summer line right now. Hope for the Future is not releasing a line this summer so I'm done with Fall/Winter 2016-2017 and I'm working on Spring/Summer 2017. I need to do Fall/Winter 2017/2018 as well before I can do the bridesmaids dresses for Thomas. He wanted help with them because there was so much other stuff he needed to focus on right now." Hope is so proud of her former step brother.

"Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. Having fun at work again!"

"I am having so much fun that I've decided that I'm letting the world know I'm back next Friday, being cooped up here is no fun."

"So, I heard you'll be buying a house?"

"Where did you hear that from?"

"A little birdie told me." Deacon looks so proud of his daughters ability to put the past behind her.

"I take it you've talked to Steffy?" She sees her father nod his head. "I'm not buying a house, I'm buying Thomas part of his and Steffys house. It gives him funds to buy an apartment in Seattle."

"How are you feeling about living with Steffy then? I mean, you don't exactly have a stellar past."

"Well, you've seen how she is with DJ and she and I have talked through our issues in depth while we lived in Europe and now that Liam is out of both our lives, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't be able to live together." She walks over to the kitchen and opens her fridge. "Since it's almost lunch time, you want some pasta?"

"Sounds good! I've got something to talk to you about."

"Really? What's that?" Curiosity clouds Hopes eyes.

"I was going to call you, but then I figured that telling you face to face was a better idea and well, it seems like you're going to be a big sister again."

Hope sees the fear in her father's eyes.

"You and Quinn are having a baby?"

Deacon nods his head at his daughter's question.

"Well, happy marriages often tend to expand into children, don't they?" Hope had let go of her resentment towards Quinn when she realized just how happy her father was with her.

"I guess they do. But there's so much to be scared about."

"Like what? Quinn is only forty-four years old and with todays medicine, I can't see a reason why neither she nor the baby would do good. Make sure you get her tested for everything though so that you can prepare yourself in case there is something wrong with the baby."

He just stares at her with wonder in his eyes.

"What? You thought I would scream at you for getting her pregnant?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd be this accepting of it."

"There's a lot in my life that has made me think about my current situation and being mad at a woman for manipulating me into a relationship that I didn't want at the time because of my obsession with Liam but that I now know that I want with all my heart, especially after reading that letter, is just not worth my time. Could you please tell her that I would like to tell her thank you for raising such an amazing man?"

"I will."

"Now, let's eat."

Hope hands him a plate with pasta and tomato sauce on it and a glass of water, then they sit down on the couch to eat.

I'm done!

Two days later, Taylor is the only one currently in the house. She had sent Nick, Bridget, Jack and Logan to the zoo for the day because Hope still wasn't comfortable letting everyone know she was back. The little click of people who knew she was back hadn't changed much since she had arrived.

Hope and Steffy would be arriving soon and DJ and Wyatt were soon to follow.

She was so nervous about the event even though she wasn't even the one who was the center of attention.

There's a knock on the door and so she goes to open it. On the other side of the door, Steffy is checking her soon to be roommate out.

Hope had opted for no makeup as she was certain that tears were going to flow freely and she was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a razorback tank top with a half zipped up hoody over it.

"How are you doing?"

Hope looks over at her with tears almost flowing over.

"I don't know, but I'll know when I see him."

The door opens and Hope and Steffy walk in. Each of them giving Taylor a hug as they move past her.

Steffy sends a text to her boyfriend to tell him that they're there and five minutes later, there's another knock on the door and Hope migrates over to Steffy searching for reassurance.

Steffy is surprised that Hope gravitated towards her but gives her what she needs either way.

Taylor opens the door and DJ walks through it first and Steffys eyes start to sparkle. When she turns her head to look at Hope when Wyatt walks through the door, she can see Hopes eyes start to sparkle as well and she knows that this is the best thing for them. When she looks over at Wyatt, she can see that he's totally frozen in place. She can also feel Hope letting go of her arm and slowly walk forward.

DJ walks over to stand with his girlfriend as his sister walks towards their stepbrother.

Hope walks up to Wyatt and brings him into a hug and just as their arms snakes around the other, something happens and they hold on for dear life as tears flows down their faces.

Taylor walks over to Steffy and DJ. "Maybe we should let them talk."

Steffy and DJ both nod their heads and then the three of them starts walking towards the door down to the pool house.

Back in the living room of the house, Hope is starting to come back to reality. She lifts her head from his shoulder and looks him in the eyes.

"So, what do you think about our parents having a child together?" They both chuckle at the end of the question.

He then starts walking towards the couch pulling her with him before sitting down.

"I think that this child will be loved by so many people and our parents have a bigger circle of people who support them and neither of them would do what your mother or my father did when we were born." Wyatt tells her his position in the situation.

"I know that both of them are scared, but as you said, their circle of support is much larger than before. I think they will be just fine and, they have us! You, DJ and I."

"They certainly do, they also have Steffy."

"They most certainly do."

"How do you feel about Steffy being involved with your brother?"

"I know they haven't been together long, but you can tell the difference in her from when I saw her with Liam already. She seems so much more secure in the relationship, all those sickeningly sweet gestures that she was doing while with Liam that annoyed me to no end when she was with him don't annoy me anymore. She seems so truly happy and DJ looks at her like shes the only girl in the world and I just can't see them breaking up ever. They're the one for each other."

"You know, I heard from my mother that he had been in love with her since they were kids."

"I wonder what took him so long to come back?"

They keep talking for hours, then Hope asks a jaw dropping question.

"Do you hate me?"

"No, I don't hate you, I hate what you did, but I don't hate you. But, I also shouldn't have married you when I did."

"I should have called Liam though to find out if he was coming or not. But, I don't regret that we got married, the way I handled things after though wasn't the best thing to do and that I do regret."

"So, you want to see where this goes? You know Liam will be furious when he finds out you're back in my orbit."

"Well, he made his bed, now he needs to lay in it and if he shifts his focus towards me after fighting for Steffy since he was deported to New York it would just prove to both me and Steffy that he wasn't what we thought he was. But he's in both our pasts and will never be a part of our future romantically. Liam is a closed chapter in both mine and Steffys life." She can see in his face that it was the answer he wanted. "I do want to see where this can go as well, let's just take it slow and not rush into marriage!"

"Sounds good to me!" Wyatt brings her into a hug. "Should we ask DJ and Steffy to come with us to eat dinner? We could order pizza or something and go to your place and eat?"

"Sounds like a plan, that way I can hand over next seasons designs to Steffy as well." Hope leans against the couch while he texts DJ.

I'm done!

Steffy is awoken from her slumber on one of the lounge chairs by her mother's pool by a text message coming to her boyfriend's phone.

"What's going on?" She asks bewildered.

"Well, it seems like Hope and Wyatt have worked through their issues and they want to know if we're up to dinner, pizza at Hopes place."

"I'm down with that. Ask Hope if we could ask Bridget and CJ to come see our surprise. I think she'll need Bridget when it comes out that she's here."

Steffy puts her shorts and tank top back on over her bikini while DJ asks Wyatt to ask Hope about Steffys suggestion. While waiting for the answer, DJ puts his t-shirt back on. The text comes through.

"Hope thinks it's probably a good idea. Maybe you should ask Bridget and CJ?"

Steffy nods her head and sends a text off to her aunt.

Than they go in search of Taylor to tell her that Bridget will come to the guesthouse to have dinner with them and that Logan will follow Jack and Nick back home, CJ will come and pick Bridget up at the zoo.

I'm done!

Two hours later, the pizza has been sliced and the boxes have been opened, paper plates have been placed in the middle and plastic cups have been placed next to the fridge where bottles of soda are getting chilled.

Hope and DJ are sitting on the couch and Steffy is making up desert. Wyatt is on his way back from the bathroom when there's a knock on the door. He takes the liberty to go and open the door to find Bridget and CJ on the other side.

"Hey!" Both Bridget and CJ walks through the door and gives Wyatt a hug. "Why are we meeting here?"

Bridget and CJ have noticed the brunette sitting on the couch with her back towards the door and are confused as to who it is.

Steffy decides to jump into the conversation.

"Well, we had someone we thought you should meet and what better way to do it than where she lives."

"Okay?" Bridget is even more confused.

Hope than rises from the couch and turns around.

"Hi sis!"

"I'm sorry, what?" The frown on Bridgets forehead becomes bigger. "You sound like my sister, but you don't look like her."

Hope than turns to Steffy.

"Well, if my own sister doesn't recognize me, why did I stay hidden this long?" She throws her arms out in mock frustration causing Steffy to laugh.

"Well, you haven't seen each other in I don't know how long so I guess it's just the way it is." Steffy than turns to CJ. "Hey! How are you doing?"

"Well, I think I'm good, a little hungry right now and those pizzas look amazing."

"Well, as you see, plates are on the table, glasses are by the fridge where the drinks are, help yourself, because dinner is ready guys!"

DJ sprints over the backrest of the couch and almost knocks Wyatt over trying to get to the pizza.

Steffy looks over at Hope. "Why do I love him?"

"My guess is because of his comforting arms, because his cravings for pizza aren't it!"

"I guess you're right." Steffy just shrugs her shoulders. She walks over to Bridget and snaps her fingers in her face. "Hey! You ok?"

Bridget just nods her head absentmindedly. Hope walks over and gives her sister a hug.

"When did you get back?"

"A couple of weeks ago. I came the same day that Thomas left to check on the store location in Seattle."

"And you're living in Thomas and Steffys guesthouse?"

Hope just nods as her answer and Bridget nods in response to that. "Welcome back!"

"Thank you!"

The rest of the evening went by without incidents, unless you count DJ accidentally tilting his cup of water over Wyatts head and the water fight that followed all the way out to the pool.

"So, do you three consider yourselves siblings now?" Bridget asks DJ, Wyatt and Hope.

Wyatt and Hope just looks at each other before they start laughing.

"I guess so." DJ interjects inbetween Wyatt and Hopes laugh, causing both of them to look at him with confusion in their eyes. "What I mean is, we will be sharing a sibling, although you two might want to keep that aside from your romantic relationship?"

"What do you mean share a sibling?" Bridget is confused. "And also? Romantic relationship?"

"Dad and Quinn are having a baby!" Hope breaks the news to her sister.

"Can't you see the chemistry?" Steffy asks Bridget.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" All four says, Steffy included in the Sharpe-Fuller-trifecta.

"Thorne is also having a baby, he's getting married as well!"

There's a sparkle in Steffys eyes before she starts crying.

DJ wades over to her before taking her into his arms and Steffy stops crying almost instantly.

"I think you might have been right, Hope!" Bridget has moved closer to her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember what you said when Steffy asked you why she loves DJ?" Bridget indicates for Hope to look over at her brother and Steffy.

"Aaah, yes, I do." A smile grows on Hopes face as she remembers what she told Wyatt earlier that day.

"Hey, why isn't Thomas here?" CJ exclaims in confusion.

"He went back to Seattle on Thursday to check on the store for his line and to check out the apartments he was thinking might be a good fit."

"I'm sorry?" Bridget looks over at Wyatt as he answered.

"Oh, you don't know about that yet?" Steffy looks a little bit ashamed.

"No?"

"Thomas is moving to Seattle to start up a Bridal Boutique called Forrester Bridal, it's going to be a sub division of Forrester Creations, where he designs wedding dresses and it's going to have its own part of the shoe line, lingerie line and its own part of the Mens line. It will also be selling the makeup and skin care lines, causing those two to be taken out of Memories and be a part of our permanent stock. If you don't find anything that matches what you're looking for, Thomas will design a wedding dress specifically for you. I believe Hope is going to be helping him with the bridesmaid's side of the business?" Steffy turns her head to see Hope nod her head at the question.

"There's a lot happening at the company right now." Hope interjects.

"Yes, but he should come back tomorrow. Which reminds me, I need to send him a text." Steffy leaves the pool to get her phone.

She sends a quick text to her brother, that's when she gets an idea so she walks back to the pool and waves Wyatt and Hope to her.

"Hey, I was wondering if maybe we should start teasing your return?"

"Okay?" Hope and Wyatt asks.

"I was thinking we could take a picture from behind you of you facing Wyatt, we would have to get your hair dry though, it would give too much away otherwise."

Hope springs into action and walks inside to get her hair dry and Steffy walks inside to fetch her camera and three bikinis and three bath trunks from the California Freedom line that hadn't been released yet.

She comes back and starts searching for CJ.

"Hey! Where's CJ gone?"

"I think he went to the bathroom." Bridget offers as a suggestion.

"I need him to take some pictures."

Just as she finishes talking, Hope walks out of the house and her locks are once again in perfect condition.

"Hey, how do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get your curls so bouncy?"

"I'll show you some time. Now, where do you want me?"

"Let's start against the roses by the stairs up to the house? But first, put this on!" She hands Hope a version of the crochet bikini that Pam had made a few years back and Wyatt a pair of surfer shorts in the same colors.

When they come back a little while later, CJ has also returned and Steffy has explained to him what she wants to do and then been in the house to get her laptop. "Wyatt, stand with your back against the roses and then place your hands on Hopes hips, than slide a few inches to the side so that we can see what you're wearing. Hope?"

Hope turns her head to see what Steffy wants.

"Tilt your head a little so that we can see that highlight on your cheek." Steffy looks through the lens of the camera where CJ is holding it while Hope slowly turns her head. "That's awesome! Wyatt look into her eyes please!"

While CJ is taking the pictures, Steffy walks over to DJ and hands him a pair of surfer trunks as well, than she walks over to Bridget and hands her a bandeau bikini in a dark blue color and keeps the dark red for herself.

"I want one of those with all of us in it!"

I'm done!

 _April 25_ _th_

 _New York_

Liam is sitting at his desk when the notification comes in, Steffy had posted a new photo on Instagram. What he sees makes him pissed off though.

On the first photo, there's a woman standing in front of Wyatt with a bikini on, the text saying " _Preview for our new California Freedom-line. Bikini and surfer shorts to come!"_

The next photo has Bridget and CJ standing on one side of Wyatt and the mystery woman and Steffy and DJ standing on the other side.

" _Impromptu photoshoot at pool party last night! Don't the swimsuits look good?_ "

Then there's a photo of the three girls laying on lounge chairs taken from the left corner of Hopes chair to keep her identity hidden.

" _Well, this would've been much better had the sun actually been shining_!" was the caption for this one.

The photos actually make him so pissed off that he calls his father.

" _Well, hello Liam?_ "

"Have you seen what Steffy posted on her Instagram?"

" _Yes, I have. I thought the pictures were beautiful, didn't you?_ "

"No, I didn't actually. I thought I told you to make sure DJ didn't come anywhere near her?"

" _She's a grown woman Liam, who can make her own choices. A grown woman who chose to leave you because you just couldn't help yourself!_ "

"Oh please, she wouldn't even let me explain myself!"

" _Really? What reason could there have been for you to follow Ivy to the airport at all? She has her uncle for that!_ "

"Just keep him away from her! He's no good for her and he'll just break her heart! Besides, she's mine and she always will be!"

" _I highly doubt that Liam, I've seen them together and there's no telling where their relationship might be going. Their trip to Big Bear seems to only have cemented their relationship even more. You need to let go Liam and move on. She certainly has_."

"I thought you supported my relationship with Steffy!" Liam throws the accusation out there.

" _Oh, trust me, I supported your relationship with Steffy and I still would be had you had enough respect for her to_ ** _not_** _follow Ivy to the airport. But you didn't and so you're in New York and I have stopped supporting your relationship and based on what I'm seeing in her in this relationship, I made the right choice._ "

If it had been possible, steam would start coming out of Liams ears and his head would turn a fire engine red. The pencil he's been holding snaps in two.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Steffy leaves me for another man and I'm the one with a problem?"

" _Oh please, Steffy had already left you before she met DJ again! Get over it! You should probably stop imploring everyone to save Steffy from DJ as well! Nobody on this coast is actually doing it. It's time to let go!"_

At this point, Liam is so angry that hearing the news that no one is doing what he asked of them just sends him over the edge and he throws his phone into the wall and then he stomps over to Karens office.

He bangs on the door.

Karen just says come on in and doesn't move a muscle when she sees who's at the other side.

"What can I do for you, Liam?"

"I need to take some days off!"

"Why is that?"

"I have some things to take care of!"

"Does these things live in LA?"

He doesn't answer because he knows he's been found out.

"Then I can't help you Liam! Now, go back to work!"

She watches him leave the room and then calls her brother to let him know.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Well, they've been productive enough now don't you think?**

 **Wyatt and Hopes conversation didn't turn out the way I had it in my head when it first appeared, but the letters made an appearance and they conveyed their feelings about their situation to each other so now it's just them getting to know each other again. Wyatts letter to Hope will be revealed a little later.**

 **Hmm. Liam made an appearance and he's pissed off!**

 **I have started going to school in January, so I won't be posting as often as I'd like to, but I hope that's okay with all of you who are reading my stories!**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:**

 **I do not own a single thing!**

 **Today is my 9** **th** **anniversary on this site and so I decided to post for both I'm done and Things happen! This is the new chapter for I'm done! Let me know what you think!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter fourteen**

 _Thursday April 28_ _th_ _2016_

 _Los Angeles_

Over the last few days, little hints had been dropped over Forrester Creations Instagram that Hope Logan was returning, but they were so small that their followers had problems piecing them together.

The latest photo had been a picture of Hope´s left eye while wearing Forrester Creation make up. Steffy had done a marvelous job with both the makeup, lights and camera work and you could definitely tell that Steffy was a PR-master.

She had also sent out an invitation to a press conference Friday afternoon under the premise of announcing the return of Intimates and the Men´s line as well as Thomas plans, but, it was only booked to announce the return of Hope and the relaunch of Hope for the Future in October.

There was so much that needed to be done before the day was over that she ignored her phone for most of the day. She knew however that ignoring her mother´s calls would be a bad idea. So, when her mother called just before she was about to go home, she answered even though she still had lots to do.

"Hi mom!" Steffy intentionally sounds distracted to make her mother hurry up with what she needed to tell her.

"Hi Steffy! I wanted to know if you wanted me there tomorrow?" Having heard from her former husband that Steffy was under way too much stress right now and that she had too much to do, she decided to keep the big stuff from her a little while longer, the dinner they had planned on Sunday might be a better time to announce their news.

"I would prefer it if you were, but I will understand if you can't." Steffy flips through some papers that her father had left for her to look over in regards to Thomas new adventure.

"I will be there, I just wanted to know if you'd want me there. I'm going to let you go now and I'll see you tomorrow!"

"I'll see you tomorrow mom!" Steffy makes a kissing noise and then follow it up with an I love you.

"I love you too honey! Good bye!"

Steffy goes back to work and when there's a knock on the door, she tells whoever it is that they can just come in.

The door opens and Wyatt pokes his head through.

"Now, you do know that it's 8:30 pm right? You've been here since six this morning."

"Are you serious? Mom called at 4:15 and apparently time has just flown away from me." Steffy pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Well, I come as a messenger from your boyfriend!" And he brings out the most beautiful little box ever from the front pocket of his jacket as well as a bouquet of roses from behind his back.

"Why didn't he deliver them himself?" Despite the serious tone, she still skips up from the chair she's sitting on and runs over to receive them.

"Well, he wanted me to tell you that he's sorry, but he had to go to Genoa City to visit Amber over the weekend, apparently something happened on Tuesday and Amber has been in the hospital these last few days and she is going to be released tomorrow. Now, the content of the box he designed himself with my mother´s help."

"Well, that's extremely bad timing. I'm going to have to call him to make sure Amber is okay. That couldn't have happened at a worse time."

"Well, it could have."

"What do you mean?" Steffy scratches her forehead in confusion.

"Well, you could've been nine months pregnant, he leaves on Thursday, you go into labor Thursday night and then you have the baby before he even gets back from Genoa City."

Steffy just nods her head. "Yeah, you're right. I'm planning on borrowing you from Hope if that ever happens though!"

"I'm down with that, unless Hope is currently giving birth as well, then you'd just have to keep your legs closed until our baby is born."

"It's a deal! Otherwise maybe CJ could jump in, or Deacon maybe. Oh, Bill would probably be more than happy to help. Although Deacon would probably be the best choice as he'd be the grandfather."

"Well, dad might want to share that spot with both Deacon and your father."

"That baby is going to have so many grandfathers. Anyway, am I assuming right when I assume that DJ leaving wasn't the only reason you came by?"

"You are actually. I want to take Hope out on a date and I want you to raid her closet to find the perfect outfit or come with me and find it where we can find it."

Steffy nods her head and then they plan for the date Wyatt had in mind. He gives her an idea of what he wants for Hope´s outfit and Steffy paints the picture in her head and plans on doing it tomorrow.

"Alrighty then. Are you going to Hope´s now or are you going home?"

He checks his phone for the time.

"Well, it's almost 10 PM so I'm thinking I'm going home, she's probably sleeping by now."

"Time sure has flown by today." Steffy starts gathering her things. "Thank you for dropping by with DJ´s gifts!"

"My pleasure!"

"I'll see you tomorrow at the press conference?"

"I'll be there!"

"Good! Have a nice night!"

"You too!"

They then leave Steffy´s office and walk down to the parking lot where they go their separate ways.

I'm done!

When Hope Logan opens her eyes the next morning, she can hear someone raiding through her closet, so she quietly climbs out of bed and after checking the time on her cellphone, she starts to quietly walk towards her closet.

When she turns the corner to the entry way of her closet, she sees Steffy going through her entire wardrobe trying to find something.

"Hey!" To say that Steffy is shocked is an understatement. "Why are you going through my closet?"

"Uhm. Would you believe me if I said I was on a secret mission from the FBI searching for bugs that could lead someone to find out you're here before everyone is supposed to find out?" Steffy looks at her. "No? Okay, how about I'm searching for a particular piece of clothing for a coming date?"

Steffy looks over at her again. "Not that either? Hmm.. Well then, I've got nothing."

So, she sits down in the middle of the floor and looks up at Hope with a big smile on her face.

"How did you even get inside the house?"

"Well, you see, I own this property and therefor I have keys everywhere."

"Right. So, let's say I believe you about the date thing. What exactly are you looking for?"

So Steffy goes into great detail of what she's searching for based on what Wyatt told her and low and behold, Hope walks over to a side of her closet that Steffy hadn't searched through yet and found exactly what she was searching for. Steffy high fives herself inside her head and then turns on her sad face again to throw Hope off.

"Is this it?" Hope holds the dress out and twirls it around so that Steffy can see the whole dress.

"I think so. Can I borrow it? You need to get ready for the press conference!"

"Yes, you can. Although I don't see how you'd be able to wear it since we do not have the same body types." Hope points to each of their torso. "Yeah, should I ride in with you or do I take my car? I mean, it's a few hours before go time?"

"If you want to you can come with me. I think we might have a few samples ready for the underwear part of Hope for the Future for you to look at if you want to. I'm getting a load of Intimates-samples sent up today as well if you want to look at those."

"Well that settles that then. I'll just come with you!" Hope starts gathering the outfit she was planning on wearing for the press conference. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and I'll meet you by your car when I'm done?"

"Sounds good to me. I turned the coffee maker on when I went up here and I left some bagels on the countertop in the kitchen."

"Thank you! I'll see you in a little bit!" Hope starts shooing Steffy out of her closet.

"See you soon!"

Steffy starts texting Wyatt as she holds the dress while walking away.

Steffy rushes up to her rooms and gets herself ready for the day.

When she goes to her car an hour later, Hope is standing there waiting for her with her rediscovered signature curls all ready to go.

"You ready for this?"

Steffy takes her car keys out of her purse and unlocks the car. "I know that I said I was, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"It'll be okay. You just breath and it'll be okay and whatever you do, do not answer the phone if Liam calls. That's just unneeded drama."

"Yeah, like I told Wyatt when we met on Sunday, if Liam shifts his focus from you to me now after he's fought so hard for you, it just proves to both of us that he's not what we need in our life. That's a closed chapter in my life and I have nothing to say to him."

"Good on you!"

The rest of the ride to Forrester Creations was silent. They walk up to the elevator and then during the ride up, Hope goes in for a hug.

"It'll be just fine. I mean, you and your dad are doing great, Quinn and your relationship is getting good and you and Wyatt are doing amazing. Letting the world know your back isn't that bad. You'll be just fine!"

"Yeah, you're right! Thank you for reminding me!"

"Your welcome! Let's do some work."

When they walk through the door to Steffy´s office there are two bags standing on her desk.

"Well, look at that, they're done with the samples already." She looks through both bags quickly and hands one of them off to Hope. "This one is yours!"

Hope accepts the bag and looks through it. "These are just what I thought they'd be!

Meanwhile, Steffy has taken a set out and gone to the folded wall and tried the set on. She walks around the edge and shows it off to Hope.

"I agree, this is just what I wanted it to be!" She's wearing a bralette in a dark green lace with satin ribbons decorating the bralette and the hipsters that match.

"That is gorgeous!" Hope agrees with Steffy.

"There's something missing though." She walks over to the bag again and finds what she's searching for. A satin robe in the same color as the lace with lace trimmings on the lapels and on the edges of the pockets.

She puts it on while walking to the mirror. "Yes, just what I wanted. It'll go great with the camisole and shorts I had Maya try on a few months ago. They're part of a mini line sort of in the Intimates line."

"Well, it looks good! Isn't it time to do the photo shoot for Intimates soon?"

"Yes, it is, we'll be doing it before Maya and Nicole's baby comes, so pretty soon." There's a knock on the door as Steffy is talking so Hope goes behind the folded wall and waits for the person on the other side to leave.

Once Hope is safely hidden, Steffy walks over and opens the door.

"Hey Steffy! I heard something about samples being delivered today! Are we doing the shoot soon?"

"Hi Maya! Yes, we're planning on having it next week actually."

"Awesome. Is that the same lace that was on that set you had me try on in January?"

"It is actually, they're part of a mini line kind of within the Intimates line. What do you think?" Steffy twirls before taking the robe off to show off the set underneath the robe.

"I really like it." Maya gives Steffy a big smile.

"That's good! Now, if you don't mind, I have a bunch of things I need to take care of before the press conference this afternoon."

"Yeah, about that, am I supposed to be present for that considering you're revealing the relaunch of Intimates."

"You can come if you want to, but you don't need to be there. We've got a lot to tell the press and Intimates is only a small part of that."

"Okay, I'll come and show my support! I can just leave after the Intimates part is over."

"Sounds good to me, will you be contacting Sasha to let her know?"

"I can do that!"

Then they say good bye and Maya leaves, after that Hope comes back out from her hiding spot and she and Steffy laugh a little.

"It's going to be so nice not having to hide every time someone comes and knocks on your door."

"See, now you're glad you decided to come out into the world today!"

Both women laugh a little more. Steffy then walks back behind the folded wall and changes back into her clothes, then she walks over to her desk and starts tackling the big pile of documents she left behind after Wyatt came and spoke to her yesterday.

While Steffy worked, Hope took the time to go over the samples for Hope for the Future. She had brought a notepad with her to write down what needed to be changed, but she didn't write much in it. After she was done with that, she continued working on the Fall/Winter 2017/2018-collection.

The next time there was a knock on the door, Hope did her usual 'Hide and go seek'-routine, but when it was revealed to be Wyatt coming with food, Hope came right out.

"Hey!" She walks over and gives him a hug. "How did you know I was here?"

He looks down in shame. "Well, I didn't, I hoped you were here, but I'm actually here to deliver lunch to Steffy as per her boyfriend's request. I do have food for you as well."

Steffy looks up at the mention of her name. "Naaw, my little messenger boy!" She walks over, places her hands on either side of his head and gives him a big kiss on his forehead causing Wyatt to blush and Hope to burst out laughing at the look on his face.

She knew there was nothing going on between them and figured it was just part of their friendship. A few years ago, she wouldn't have thought that though and that realization made her so proud of how far she had come since walking out on her marriage to Wyatt.

"Well then, show me what you brought!" Steffy waves him over to the table.

I'm done!

About an hour after lunch was done, Steffy met up with Ridge in the room where the press conference would take place leaving Wyatt with Hope in Steffy´s office.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Ridge stands by the podium in front of the company logo and Steffy is standing in the back of the room listening to see if they could hear.

"Why don't you just introduce our new designer and then she walks out? More drama like that. Is Eye on Fashion coming?"

"Bill promised us two spreads in Eye on Fashion so I would certainly hope so!"

"Can you imagine how mad Liam is going to be that he wasn't allowed to be in LA when he finds out that Hope is back?" Steffy chuckles. "Have you heard that he called Bill this past Monday and yelled at him?"

Ridge just laughs at the notion. "Well, from his side it was probably warranted, but from our side, not so much. Bill called me to tell me about it after Karen had called him."

"I've come to realize that it was probably best for all of us that Liam was shipped off to New York. I mean, mine and DJ´s relationship would've been attacked constantly by him, Hope probably wouldn't have had the courage to come back and Memories would never have gotten to where it is right now."

Steffy starts walking to the front of the room again towards her father and Ridge joins her about three fourths of the way to the front to give her a hug.

"You're so much better off without him then with him."

"Yeah, I know and I'm so glad you gave DJ your blessing."

"Me too honey, me too!" Ridge bends down and kisses the top of her head. "Where is he by the way? I would've thought he'd be here for his sisters first press conference back from her move to Italy?"

"Amber called him yesterday and he left for Genoa City just after three, she had been admitted to the hospital a few days ago and was going to be released this morning, so she needed him to come help her with something. I didn't really ask that much."

"Oh, do you know when he's coming back?"

"I'd say within the week, but I don't know."

"By the way, I haven't told you what I thought about the photos you posted on Instagram this week."

Steffy looks up at him.

"Well, I thought they were pretty amazing and as you just said, you haven't told me yet." She smiles at him.

"I actually agree with you. Those were amazing. That one you posted yesterday was gorgeous. I knew there was a reason you got put in PR by Bill and Katie when they owned Forrester Creations."

"I gave them an idea for a new campaign and they both loved it, so they wanted to explore what I could do. It worked out well."

"It really did."

They give each other another hug and then Ridge goes back to his office to get some more work in before the press conference, while Steffy continues to set the room up the way they want it.

I'm done!

The moment he found out that Forrester Creations was going to hold a press conference, ideas appeared in his mind, any ideas he had had in his head was nothing like what actually happened.

He's sitting in front of the TV watching his former daughter in law walk out on the stage and announce that she's back in LA and revamping the Hope for the Future line and the first thing that entered his head was.

"What is Liam going to think about this?"

After taking a closer look at the woman Wyatt´s ex-wife had become, he recognized the hair on the girl as the hair of the girl standing in front of Wyatt in the pictures Steffy had posted on Instagram these last few days.

"Oh crap." He scrambles to find his phone and calls his sister.

" _Hello, Karen Spencer here!_ "

"One quick question."

" _Okay._ "

"Does Liam have access to a TV in his office?"

" _He does._ "

"Follow up question."

" _Okay._ "

"Does he know about Forrester Creations press conference today?"

" _He does. As part of a major publishing company, he needs to be on the money with everything._ "

"Crap. Holy, holy crap."

" _Why?_ "

"Guess who's back in LA and revamping her line."

" _Hope?_ " She hears him groan making her realize she's right. " _Crap, holy, holy crap._ "

She can hear him pound his head into his desk.

" _I'll just go check on Liam, shall I?_ "

"Yeah." Bill sighs deeply.

I'm done!

 _New York_

 _7 minutes after FC press conference_

Karen gently knocks on the door to Liam´s office. He doesn't say come on in, but since she's the owner of half of Spencer Publications, she just walks right in.

He's sitting in the chair behind his desk with his mouth open staring at the TV where he's paused a frame where Steffy and Hope are standing next to each other with an arm around each other and both their eyes are sparkling towards each other.

"What...how..where...why?" She just leaves him to his mushing's and sits down on the chair opposite his.

She can see the change in him when he realizes who the woman was that was standing in front of Wyatt in the pictures that Steffy posted on Instagram. She can see the smoke coming out of his ears and the anger is turning his face red.

"I can't believe she'd deceive me like that." Another pencil meets its fate.

"Who?" This is the moment he realizes he's not alone in his office and collects himself.

"No one." He goes back to doing what he's supposed to do. "Don't you have any work to do?"

Karen just nods her head and then she walks back to her own office.

She picks up her cellphone and makes a call to her brother, he picks up within the first ring.

" _So?_ " He asks with dread.

"It's not good. I'm going to try and keep him busy for the next few weeks, but I don't think I can keep him here much longer now."

" _Sure you can, don't give him any time off until it's settled back here, should be a few months. Hope and Wyatt are supposedly working on their relationship and Steffy and DJ are working on theirs, they don't need Liam drama to get in the way of that._ "

"Oh, I totally agree with you."

I'm done!

 _LA_

 _Steffy´s office_

"Oh my God that was satisfying, did you see the looks on all of those reporters?" Hope spins around from the excitement she's feeling.

Steffy just looks on and is happy that Hope is so happy.

"Well, we knew it was going to shake them up a bit. Let's just get the line you have already done in production now so that we can sell it in stores this fall. You have a fashion show to prepare for."

"I do, don't I?"

There's a knock on the door and Steffy walks over to open it. In pokes Wyatt´s head.

"Well, you know, it's much nicer to see you both happy!"

Knowing what he's referring to, Steffy just laughs at him.

"So, what did you think?"

"You guys were awesome! You did good!" He walks over and brings Hope into a hug. She looks up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Thank you!"

There's a text coming to Steffy´s phone and when she sees what it says, she breaks out into a smile and blushes a bit.

"DJ wanted me to tell you that you did awesome and that he's sorry he couldn't be here for you." Steffy walks over to Wyatt and Hope and gives them a group hug.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me. I have my man with me. He's all I need."

"So, what are you going to do with meeting your mom then?" Steffy walks back to her desk as she asks.

"Well, she probably knows I'm back, now right?" Steffy nods her head as an answer. "Why don't I just let her come to me? She needs to show me that she wants me in her life."

"But what about her illness?" Wyatt looks at her with concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, what about it? How much of a mom was she to me?"

"Well, a lot better than she was to Bridget I would say." Steffy interjected.

Hope sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Her yearlong affair with Bridget´s husband all the while sending him back to her to not cause suspicion from Bridget´s side trumps most of what mom has ever done to me."

"I'm not saying what she's done to you wasn't bad, it's just she should've learned from her experiences with Bridget that you just don't do that. Unfortunately, she hasn't learned at all and now with the Alzheimer's it's only going to get worse."

"Yeah, I know."

Then Steffy´s phone rings. "Hey, it's Katie!" She picks it up and says hello, then she hears what's happening on the other side of the line, so she takes her phone off her ear and puts it on speaker, then she places her finger over her mouth to make sure that neither Hope nor Wyatt is talking on their side of the phone.

I'm done!

 _Katie´s house._

What she'd seen on the tv just now wasn't what she thought it would be. She had been so excited to find out what this new mystery line was supposed to be and then to find out that Hope was back wasn't what she'd thought it would be. She knew about Memories, but she didn't think that they'd be announcing it right now, especially since it was almost a year away from distribution.

She heard the knock on her door and went to open it.

"Hi Brooke!" She opens the door wider to let her sister in.

"Hello Katie!" Brooke speaks with such malice in her voice that Katie is taken a back.

"What's up?"

"Well, maybe you could try and explain to me why you were on the tv just now trying to impersonate my daughter?"

Katie just deflates.

"What do you mean?" She gives a huge sigh.

"What do you mean what do you mean? I just saw you on the TV acting like my daughter, why would you do that?"

At this point, Katie has figured out that she probably needs someone to listen in on this, so she picked her phone out, calls Steffy and pushed the lock on it, she knows that Steffy is smart enough to realize that when she's not answering and Brooke´s voice is heard, there's no need for Steffy to talk.

"So, what you're asking is why I'm impersonating your daughter on tv?"

"Yes! Why would you do that?"

"Let me just ask you a question. Were you watching me on the tv when I pulled into the driveway ten minutes ago?"

"Are you seriously not even going to explain yourself?"

"Why should I have to explain something that didn't even happen?"

They can hear the slap coming a mile away.

"Steffy, hang up!"

Steffy hangs up and then calls Katie back, Katie answers almost instantly.

"Put it on speaker phone aunt Katie."

"Okay."

Katie puts it on speaker phone and then watches her sister.

"Hi mom!" Hope says through the speaker phone.

"Hope?" Brooke looks around the room to find her daughter, since the only person she sees is Katie, she instantly turns the rage back on.

"Why did you slap aunt Katie just now?" Brooke is looking Katie straight in the eyes with so much hatred that Katie is taken aback.

"She's impersonating you on tv and she won't tell me why."

"Mom, I was just on the tv and I'm currently standing in Steffy´s office with Steffy and Wyatt. There's no reason for you to be angry with aunt Katie."

"What do you mean? Why are you in Steffy´s office?"

"Well, did you watch the press conference that Forrester Creations just had?" She hears her mother say yes. "I came back to LA a couple of weeks ago, but I've been busy with my line and some other stuff."

Brooke just scowls and then walks out the door, making sure to bang the door really loudly.

Katie sighs.

"Aunt Katie?"

"Yes Hope?"

"Do you still feel like she should live with you? Because it seems to me like she's getting out of your control."

"Yeah, I think it's time we start looking for a more permanent place for her to live, it's getting to be too much to handle. She hasn't even lived here long."

"Well, sometimes it's just better to let go then keep hanging on to something that's not working out."

"So, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing really good actually. I'm going to buy Thomas part of the house and move in with Steffy when Thomas moves to Seattle, my professional life is on the rise and my personal is moving along quite well also."

"That's good!"

"Yeah, I'm happy where I am."

"Well, that makes two of us!"

"Yeah, I heard about you, Bill and mom. I'm sorry you had to go through that again!"

"Well, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Bill and I work better as co parents. You just got to roll with it."

"Sounds like you worked out your feelings about all of this really well!"

"I just accepted that this is the way it was going to be and I'm so much better off."

"Yeah, life is so much easier then."

"So, you want to meet up and eat lunch some day?"

"Absolutely! Bridget, Steffy and Taylor might want to come with." Hope looks over at Steffy and sees her nodding at the suggestion. "Maybe Quinn would like to come as well."

"Maybe we could ask Vivienne, Maya, Nicole and Sasha as well?"

"We should do it in connection with the photo shoot next week. That way Maya and Sasha are already here for the photo shoot, Quinn is as well because of the jewelry, the rest should be easy to round up. Taylor and Bridget are still not done with the renovations for the clinic."

"Weren't they supposed to be done with that about a month ago?"

"Yeah, but something happened and it won't be done until next month." Steffy interjects in the background.

"Oh, Hi Steffy!" Steffy says Hi and laughs a little. "I didn't know you were also on the line."

"Well, you are talking on my phone and we are in my office. Now Wyatt, say Hey to Katie!"

"Hi Katie!"

"Hi Wyatt!"

"Now, I need to go, did you want to come out to dinner Hope?"

"Oh, that's why your personal life was moving along quite well." Katie awes.

Hope´s cheeks turns a beautiful red color. "Yeah, kind of."

Katie then has a light bulb moment.

"You're the woman in the photos!"

"I am, Steffy did an awesome job making them look good"

"Well, I had good stuff to work with!" Steffy says with a laugh at the beautiful red color on Hope´s cheeks. "Man, you are so cute when your blushing!"

Steffy, Wyatt and Katie laugh at Steffy´s comment.

"Well, I'll get back to you with the details on lunch next week!" Steffy then excuses herself from the conversation.

"I would love to go out to dinner with you Wyatt, but today I just feel like pizza and a warm blanket on my couch." Hope turns her head to give him a small kiss on the cheek.

"I can help you out with that. I'll see you in a few hours." He leans down and kisses her forehead.

Hope turns off the speaker on the phone and walks over to the couch and continues to talk to Katie for a little while longer while Steffy continue to tackle the mountain of files on her desk.

There's a knock on the door to Steffy´s office and when she tells the person on the other door to open it, her mother peaks her head through the door.

"Well, I must say that was probably the best press conference Forrester Creations has ever had!" Taylor walks through the door to see her daughter.

"Well, the one where we announced that you were back from the dead was just as good!" Hope says from the couch.

Taylor turns towards her. "Well, thank you for that, I know there was a lot of hurt going around back then."

"Yeah, well there had been a whole lot of hurting before that as well." Hope looks over at Steffy, seeing her nod. "Losing your mother at such a young age can't be that easy. I didn't lose much, I still had Ridge and my mom even though we lived in separate houses. All of it worked out well in the end though!"

All three women smile at each other.

"Hey mom!" Taylor turns her head towards her daughter and nods her head. "What do you say about having lunch with a few people one day next week?"

"Well, that depends on who those people are."

"Katie, Hope, Quinn, we were planning on asking you, Bridget, Vivienne, Sasha, Nicole and Maya!"

"Well, as long as Brooke isn't there, I don't see a problem. Have you talked to Donna lately?"

"No, I haven't, but I know that granddad had lunch with her a little while ago. She seemed settled and doing good from what he told me." Steffy is the one who answers the question.

Taylor looks over at Hope with surprise in her eyes.

"Don't ask me, I've been in Milan and then in hiding for the last few weeks. Not a whole lot of people I could talk to." She says with laughter in her voice.

"Yeah, right." Taylor looks back and forth between Hope and Steffy. "So, Hope, now that you're on the outside of the world again, would you like to come to the family dinner on Sunday? Quinn, Deacon and Wyatt are coming, DJ was supposed to come, but since he's in Genoa City, he can't make it."

"I'd love to! Thank you for inviting me!"

"Well, your family and you'll be living with my daughter soon."

"Hey Mom!" Taylor looks over at her daughter once more. "It's time for a Marone barbeque don't you think?"

Hope looks over at Steffy with surprise in her eyes and Steffy looks back at her. "What? You thought I didn't remember?"

Hope gets off the couch and walks over to Steffy to give her a hug. "I promised you a barbeque and you're getting one."

Taylor looks on with so much pride in her eyes at how far the two women had come since Steffy left LA after her miscarriage. She then sees Steffy begging her with her eyes.

"Yes, we'll have a barbeque!"

"What about Thomas? Dad, Caroline and Douglas?"

"Yeah, we'll invite them too! Thomas is back from Seattle, right?"

"Yeah, he came back yesterday!"

"Good, Nick and I have something we need to talk to you all about." Taylor walks over to her daughter to give her a hug and then hugs Hope as well. "I'm guessing CJ will be coming as well, so I'll see you on Sunday, I need to get back to the house and get everything started. I'm guessing you'd like some of that vegetarian lasagna on Sunday as well?"

"Yes, I'd love that! Thank you, mom!"

"You're welcome, I'll see you both on Sunday!"

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Yeah, this chapter ran away from me, I couldn't find a good breaking point so here it is, possibly the longest chapter ever of any fanfic I've ever written.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter fifteen**

 _Sunday, May 1_ _st_ _2016_

 _Taylor´s house_

The house was buzzing with energy, Bridget and Taylor were working through cutting up vegetables for salads, potato wedges and chicken for the skewers as well as putting all the meats as well as the portabella's in marinade.

Their guests were coming in just a few hours and so they had proceeded to put the ribs in a pot to start the cooking process.

"So,.." Bridget looks over at Taylor. "..are you nervous?"

"No, I'm not. I know that they'll be happy for us, a little shocked at first, but happy none the less. It feels good to start over sometimes!"

The front door opens and CJ comes walking through the door.

"Hey honey!" Bridget stretches her arms out as she's got marinade all over her hands and CJ sees this so he gives her a hug and kisses her lips.

"Hello babe! You all ready for this?"

"Yes, we're ready for all of this."

"Is there something you need me to do?" He directs the question to Taylor.

"No, unless you want to get the table ready? Nick is supposed to be checking the grill so that it's all set."

She sees CJ nod his head and then start checking all of the cabinets in the kitchen for glasses, plates, cutlery and bowls.

On the other side of town, at Taylor´s daughters house, Steffy was running around trying to find the left shoe of the pair she was planning on wearing when Hope comes walking up the stairs to see how long she had to wait before they could leave.

"Hey! What are you doing?" She leans against the doorframe looking at her former stepsister as she's looking under the bed, rummages through her chest of drawers and runs into to the doorframe dividing the bedroom from the connecting bathroom.

Steffy falls onto the floor and just stays there, laying on her back.

"I'm looking for my shoe, but it doesn't want to be found so I'm about to start crying."

"Why not just choose another pair then?"

"Yeah, I probably should, but I really don't want to!"

"So, which one are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for the left one of the Aly-Cat shoes. The green pair."

"You mean the one that's laying on the kitchen bench?"

Steffy hurriedly sits up and spins around. "Why would it be in the kitchen?"

"Well, you're a woman with a big shoe collection, why wouldn't a shoe end up in the kitchen once in a while? I'm pretty sure my shoes will migrate there at one time or another after I move in."

Steffy looks up at Hope and points at her. "That is true!"

"When are the boys coming?" Hope has started walking down the hallway again as Steffy gets up off the floor to go downstairs into the kitchen to find her missing shoe.

"Wyatt should be here any moment, DJ isn't coming remember!" She hears Hope knock on Thomas door as she's walking down the stairs.

As she gets to the bottom of them, she hears her brother open the door and say hi to Hope.

She gets to the kitchen and finds the shoe just where Hope said it would be. She walks out of the kitchen putting the shoe on just as Hope and Thomas walk down the stairs and the doorbell rings. Hope walks over to the door and opens it revealing a surprise.

Steffy´s eyes start to sparkle and then she takes off running, Hope scurries off to the side, Steffy jumps into his arms and wraps her legs around his waist. "I didn't think you were coming today!"

She's rewarded with a kiss. "Well, Amber let me go earlier than expected because she felt comfortable earlier then she thought."

"Is she doing okay?" She lets her feet touch the floor again.

"Yeah, she's going to be alright. It was touch and go there for a little while, but she's going to be okay."

She looks up into his eyes and gives him a kiss back. "Well, I'm happy you're back!"

"I am too!" He looks around. "You seem to be on your way somewhere though?"

"Yes, it's barbeque time!" Hope says with a big smile on her lips.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Taylor called me on Thursday and wondered if I'd be able to come today. I said I probably couldn't."

"Maybe we should call mom to let her know you can come anyway and ask if she wants us to go to the store on the way there and pick up some extras?" Thomas interjects into the conversation.

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea!" Steffy agrees.

"I'll go get the car and call mom on the way there. Are we still waiting for Wyatt?"

"No, dad sent me a text saying that Wyatt went with him and Quinn. They should be there by now!"

So, Thomas goes and gets the car while Steffy goes and finds her purse and her phone.

"Hey, maybe they've got something in the fridge?" Hope offers. So, the two siblings walk into the kitchen and finds a box of pork tenderloins so they take it as well as a cucumber, a few tomatoes, a red onion, a head of lettuce and some bell peppers.

They walk out to the door just as Steffy walks down the stairs. "Hey, what's in the bag?"

"We raided your fridge so that we wouldn't have to go to the store. Some veggies and the packet of pork tenderloins."

Steffy points at Hope. "That's a good idea! We needed to eat that pork soon so taking it with us to moms is a good idea!"

They hear Thomas honking the horn letting them know that he's waiting for them, so they go out to the car. A similar conversation takes place when they get in the car as the one just inside the house.

I'm done!

Back at Taylor´s house, Quinn and Deacon are standing outside by the door waiting for Wyatt to come back from the car because he had forgotten his phone when they got out.

He comes back and looks at them confused. "What?"

"I thought you'd gone inside already!"

"We decided to wait for you!"

"Oh, well, here I am!"

Deacon takes the hint and rings the doorbell.

When they hear little feet running towards the door, they know that either Logan or Jack will be opening the door, so Deacon and Wyatt bends down to get to the little boy's level and as both boys open the door, both men opens their arms and the boys run right into them.

"Hey Uncle Wyatt!" Jack smiles big at his former brother in law.

"Hey Uncle Deacon!" Logan looks around. "Where's DJ? Hey Aunty Quinn!"

"Hey Logan!" Quinn leans over and gives Logan a kiss on his right cheek, causing the little boy to blush. "Hey Jack! How's it going?"

A car comes driving up the drive way while they're talking and then out of it comes Ridge, Caroline and Douglas.

Ridge walks to the trunk of the car and gets the stroller and diaper bag out of it while Caroline gets their son out of the car.

"Well, look at that! A little welcoming committee! How cute!"

Deacon turns around. "Hey! This is our welcome, you all need to wait your turn!"

Ridge just laughs at him.

Because of the commotion at the door, Bridget walks out to see what's going on.

"Oh, look! There's our welcome!" Caroline points to Bridget, who then starts laughing as she realizes what exactly was going on.

"Are you trying to mooch of someone else's welcome?" Bridget raises her eyebrows.

Quinn and Wyatt just nod their heads.

"I had a feeling. So, how are you all doing?"

"I'm a little tired, but overall doing good!" Quinn states as she rubs her belly.

Deacon and Wyatt says their doing okay while Caroline and Ridge are also a little tired. Douglas had a bad night last night and they had traded places many times over the night.

They're still standing by the front door when another car comes up the driveway.

"Hey, who's that guy in the car with Steffy, Thomas and Hope?" Wyatt asks.

"I believe that's your stepbrother." Bridget addresses Wyatt´s question.

"But I thought DJ would be in Genoa City with Amber for at least four more days?" Quinn looks confused.

"Yeah, he was supposed to, but Amber felt settled sooner then she thought she would be so she sent him home." Bridget sees Logan reaching out for her so she takes over from her ex-husband as he's talking.

While she's talking, DJ has grabbed a hold of the bag and all four get out of the car. Steffy automatically gravitates towards her boyfriend and Hope decides that she's too tired to walk so Thomas offers a piggy back ride.

"Hey! You just put my girlfriend down on the ground!" Wyatt sounds way angrier than he actually is.

"But I'm tired!" Hope whines.

Wyatt laughs and walks over to the two after handing Jack over to his uncle. "Well, my back is free!"

"Ooh, put me down!" Hope starts squirming and Thomas obliges.

Hope then skips over to Wyatt and hops onto his back.

Meanwhile, Steffy and DJ just look at their sibling's antics while smiling.

"Isn't it time we go inside?" Steffy asks the gathering of people. "I believe mom and Nick had something they needed to talk to us about!"

Everyone nods their heads and goes inside. Taylor comes walking out of the kitchen.

"Hey everyone! How are you doing?"

"Well, the gang seems to be a little tired over all, but good otherwise!" Bridget answers for the group.

"Good!"

Nick comes walking in through the door out to the patio. "Hey! Did you all plan to get here at the same time?"

"Nah, I don't know who got here first, but we got here last!" Steffy walks over and gives her uncle a hug.

"Well, I'm glad you got here either way!" Nick smiles down at his niece.

"We brought extra food!" Thomas says from where he's giving his mother a hug.

"Yeah, what do I do with this?" DJ lifts the bag up.

Taylor lets go of her son and brings DJ with her into the kitchen.

"Now, pool time until food!" Steffy announces, Jack and Logan agree very loudly and so off to the pool they go.

I'm done!

Katie Logan was bored. Will was still at his father´s house and would continue to be until tomorrow, so, after cleaning the house, organizing her cabinets, doing the last of this week's laundry and checking out facilities that could care for Brooke when the time came, she was so bored she was almost climbing the walls.

She had tried reading a book, but she just couldn't find the comfort of reading like she's used to.

In a desperate attempt to find something to do, she calls her niece, but she doesn't answer. Someone does however.

" _Hello! Hope Logan´s phone!_ " She can hear laughter in the background.

"Thomas?"

" _Yeah? What can I do for you Katie? We're in the middle of a family gathering here._ "

"What's Hope doing at a family gathering of yours?"

" _Well, she's my sister´s boyfriend´s sister so obviously she's here. Why would she not be welcome?_ "

"Well, you all seem to be very wary of the Logan's."

" _Yeah, can you blame us? But I'd like to point out that she's a Sharpe and that's a good name to have! Anyway, did you want something?_ "

"No, not if she's busy. I'm just bored out of my mind."

" _Oh, right, no Will today and I'm guessing you've done everything on your to do-list?_ "

"Yeah, I was done with that hours ago!"

" _Could you hold on a minute?_ "

"Sure!"

She hears Thomas put the phone down and then walk away. He comes back a few minutes later.

" _Hey, you wanna come over? I think we have enough food and mom, Nick and Bridget said it was okay._ "

"I don't want to intrude."

" _Oh, you're related to four of the people here, I think you'd be quite welcome. I also wouldn't invite you if you weren't welcome. Besides, you're probably the only Logan most of us like these days._ "

"If you say so."

" _I do actually, well, I did. So, you want to come over?_ "

"I'd love to. Should I bring something with me?"

" _Well, if you wouldn't mind leaving Brooke behind I think you're good to go. We're having a barbeque. The food should be ready soon._ "

"Sounds fun! I'll be there in a bit!"

" _I'll see you soon then!_ "

On her way over to Taylor´s house, Katie feels weird coming to a family gathering with nothing but herself, so she stops at her favorite bakery and buys a couple of cheese cakes.

When she gets out of the car after she arrived, she can hear laughter coming from the other side of the house and she smiles to herself. She goes to the backseat and picks the boxes up.

She knocks on the door and waits. She's quite surprised when Quinn is the one who opens the door.

"Hi Katie! How are you today?" Quinn smiles big.

"Hi Quinn, I'm doing pretty good. I was bored out of my mind, then I ended up here."

"Well, welcome to this little gathering."

"I don't really know what I was expecting, but I didn't think I'd see you here."

"Well, I had a bad morning so I wondered if I'd be able to come at all, but it eased itself away about three hours ago so I could come anyway." When she sees the confusion on Katie´s face she understands what she meant. "My son, stepson and stepdaughter/future daughter in law were invited, as such, Deacon and I were invited as well. I think Taylor felt it was unfair to only invite the kids, so here we are."

"Oh. Well, it sounds like everyone is having fun!"

"Yeah, the only one not having fun right now is Douglas I think." Quinn points out as the telltale signs of an unhappy baby comes floating through the air.

"Oh, poor baby."

"He's well looked after, I believe he's just waking up from a nap." Katie can smell the lasagna in the oven as well as the marinade the meat has been in.

She's about to say something when CJ and Bridget come in through the door.

"Aunt Katie!" Bridget is confused for a moment, then comes out of her daze and walks over to her aunt to give her a hug. "I thought Thomas told you not to bring anything?"

"He did, but it didn't feel right so I brought cheese cake."

Logan comes running down the stairs with Jack following close behind and he heard the word cake.

"Yes! Dessert!" He throws his hand up in the air and then trips over his shoe laces. He jumps up again almost instantly and then starts running again, Jack hot on his heel.

A few minutes later they hear a big splash indicating that he reached his target and that his shoes would be wet when he got back. A round of laughter coming from the outside lets them know that the little boys mission was successful.

Taylor then walks back inside. "Oh, you came!" She walks over to Katie and gives her a hug before frowning. "But I know Thomas told you not to bring anything."

Katie, Bridget and Quinn start laughing. "What?"

"Bridget just said the same thing, Katie then answered that it didn't feel right to come empty handed, so she brought cheese cake." Quinn answers.

"Oh, well, that fruit salad we had planned for might have been a little light. Thank you!" Taylor leans in and kisses Katie´s cheek.

"My pleasure!" She hands the cheese cakes over to Taylor who starts walking into the kitchen to put them in the fridge.

"Hey, did you get the e-mail about lunch on Wednesday?" Taylor says over her shoulder.

"I did, it should be fun!"

"Most definitely!" Both Bridget and Quinn agree.

Nick chooses that exact moment to walk in through the patio doors with two plates with grilled food on them.

"The tenderloins and ribs need a few more minutes, but the chicken and portabellas are ready! How are things going in here?" He sniffs the air. "Yum, smells good!"

Causing the women to start giggling and he turns around to look at them. "Oh, hi Katie!" He puts the plates down and then walk over to give her a hug.

"Hi Nick! Doing good I see?"

"Yes, better than I've been in a few years actually!"

"That's good! Welcome back to LA, I don't think I said so when we met in the grocery store."

"Thank you! It was a very good decision!" She can see his eyes start to sparkle when Taylor comes back into the living room.

"So, right now we're waiting for the pork to be done, the lasagna has been taken out of the oven. If you want to you can go outside and see the kids!"

When the doorbell rings, everyone is surprised. "I thought everyone was here already?" Quinn looks around and then she sees the look on Bridget´s face.

Bridget then ushers Taylor to go and open the door. When she does, she's shaken to her core. "Zach?"

"Taylor."

Katie gets stuck looking into his eyes. They have almost the same pale blue color that Taylor´s have, but his also has a golden ring around his pupil and it causes most people to take an extra look.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was invited to a family gathering, but it seems like you didn't know I was coming?"

Taylor looks around to the other people present. Bridget just nods her head.

"I believe that was my housemates doing, I'm going to blame her for this!"

"Well, I couldn't very well tell you that your estranged brother would be coming, now could I? Where would the surprise be in that?"

"That is true!" Quinn points out.

"Are you the only one coming or are Andrew, Anna and David joining us?"

"No, it's just me for now. Andrew is studying for a test tomorrow, Anna is busy on bedrest and David is in New York."

Tears starts flooding Taylor´s eyes. "Anna´s pregnant?"

"Yeah, entered her seventh month yesterday!"

Taylor is so overwhelmed that she has to walk away.

"Don't!" Nick warns Zach when he tries to go after her.

"I'll go!" Quinn offers and sees Nick nod his head.

"A little too much information at once don't you think?" Bridget glares at Zach.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"You think? You know, overwhelming the woman you wished death on the last time you saw her might have been a bad idea." Nick throws his hands out in frustration and Bridget looks over at her former husband with surprise in her eyes.

So, she walks over and slaps him on the back of his head. "Seriously? You wished death on your own sister?"

Zach has the decency to at least look down in shame.

I'm done!

After leaving the living room, Taylor made her way up to her bedroom. She had closed the door and when there was a knock on it, she debated whether she should answer or not.

" _Taylor!"_ She hears Quinn's voice through the door and so she goes and opens it.

She looks out the door and then breaks down. Quinn walks inside the bedroom, envelopes Taylor in a hug and then she walks them over to the bed.

"So, how long has it been?"

"Almost ten years. Andrew was eleven, Anna was fifteen and David was eighteen. Thomas was nineteen, almost twenty and the girls just turned eighteen. It was awful and now he just wants to come back? He cut me out completely."

"Yeah, it's okay, just let it out. They're dealing with the fall out downstairs."

Taylor lets it all out and then falls asleep. Quinn takes this as her que to leave, so she walks downstairs and looks at Zach.

"Maybe it's time you leave and let her get in touch. She's not up for this right now."

Zach just nods his head and walks back out the door.

Unaware of the drama inside, the kids have finally gotten out of the pool and started getting their clothes back on and are ready to eat.

When they get inside, the tension could be cut with a knife.

"What's wrong?" Thomas looks towards Nick and Bridget.

"Well, Bridget made a mistake and invited your uncle to this gathering. He made your mother upset and then Quinn told him to leave." At the mere mention of his uncle, Thomas´s fists tightened and anger filled his eyes.

Steffy has a similar reaction, causing DJ to put his arms around her.

Ridge and Deacon comes in a few minutes later and Ridge can see that something has happened. "What's going on?"

"Uncle Zach stopped by." Thomas says with barely contained rage in his voice.

"How's Taylor doing?" Ridge turns his head over to his brother. Nick in turn looks over at Quinn.

"She's sleeping right now while we wait for the pork, she's upset, but she should be alright."

"Okay."

Caroline chooses this moment to come down the stairs with Douglas in her arms.

"Why is Taylor laying on the bed crying her eyes out?" This causes Steffy and Thomas to run up the stairs to be with their mother. "She wouldn't tell me why."

Caroline looks over at Ridge, who looks at Nick, who in turn looks over at Bridget.

"How was I supposed to know that this would happen? No one told me why they stopped talking!"

"Well, there may have been a reason for that!" Ridge says with the clearest intentions that this discussion was over.

Wyatt looks over at Hope with his eyebrows raised with a question in his eyes. "I'll let you know later." Wyatt nods at her offer of an explanation later.

"So, how's the pork doing?"

I'm done!

Upstairs, Steffy climbs into bed with her mother and puts her arms around her. Thomas bends down beside the bed and holds his mother's hand.

"It's okay, mom. He's already left and he won't come back unless you want him to."

Taylor opens her eyes and looks her son into his eyes. "Please promise me that you won't treat Steffy like that! No matter what."

"I won't mom. Blood over anything!"

Taylor smiles through her tears. "That goes for you too Steffy!"

"I can't promise that I'll like my brothers at all time, but I promise I'll love them no matter what. Unless he kills someone or something like that!"

Taylor squeezes Steffy's hand with her free one. "Good!"

"I promise I will love my sister as well!" Thomas agrees with this sentence, Taylor is confused though.

"Who?"

"Hope? My future sister in law? Then there's also Quinn and Deacon´s baby!" Steffy chuckles.

Neither of them sees Hope, DJ and Wyatt standing in the doorway. Tears starts gently flowing down Hope´s cheeks and DJ´s eyes are sparkling with joy. They start walking away.

When they get downstairs, DJ makes a prediction, while asking permission at the same time.

"I'm going to marry that woman! I am!"

Nick and Ridge look at each other, both nods their heads and then they look over at Deacon, who looks so proud of his son. Feeling the sensation of being looked at, Deacon turns his head towards Nick and Ridge and sees them nod their heads with a smile on their faces.

"I didn't know they felt like that." Hope is getting emotional.

"Oh, trust me, they wouldn't have let you buy into the house if they didn't and they absolutely wouldn't have let you move into their guest house otherwise."

"What's going on?"

Hope looks up at her aunt with tears in her eyes. "Thomas and Steffy just made a promise to their mother to love me and each other no matter what, even if we don't like each other very much."

Katie brings Hope into her arms.

"This is getting way to emotional. We haven't even gotten to the good part yet!" Quinn exclaims suddenly, causing everyone to laugh a little.

I'm done!

About half way through dinner, Nick stands up and gets everyone's attention.

"Now, everyone, we are here today because Taylor and I have something we need to tell you all!"

He looks out at a table full of people he's grown to love during the months he'd been back in Los Angeles. He then looks down at Taylor.

"Last Monday, I asked Taylor to once again be my wife and she said yes." Applause and 'I told you so' are exchanged. "She then had the most wonderful news I had ever heard."

This causes Steffy to look over at her mother. "That's why you said 'who' isn't it?"

Taylor just nods her head. "You thought I was talking about your pregnancy?" Taylor smiles.

Steffy gets out of the chair and walks over to her mother and gives her a hug. "Congratulations!"

Ridge, Deacon, DJ, Wyatt and Thomas raises their glasses and toasts the happy couple.

"Does Jackie and Owen know?" Katie asks with a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, we told them before they left for Europe on Friday. They were happy, but sad that they couldn't be here for the great reveal."

Bridget raises her glass. "To Ticky!"

Everyone looks at her confused and then they raise their glasses. "To Ticky!"

I'm done!

When Katie comes home that night, Brooke is waiting for her.

"Where have you been?"

"I went to see Nick and Taylor."

She can see the glee spreading in Brooke´s eyes at the mention of Nick.

"Why didn't you bring me?"

"Why should I have? It was a family gathering, I was only invited because I called Hope´s phone in a desperate attempt to find something to do."

Brooke´s eyes narrow. "So, my two daughters and my grandson were there, but you felt like you should just leave me at home?"

"Yes!" Katie says and then she goes inside, locks her doors and gets ready for the night.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Ah, Hamilton-drama and looks like there's a proposal coming up don't it?**

 **And holy moly Ticky are getting married and they're pregnant. The plan was for a wedding only, but once again, someone disagreed with me. I'm thinking I need to stop plan for stuff to happen in my fanfics and just go with what the characters wants me to write.**

 **No, obviously this is not the same Zach as in Was this real or just a dream? This is Stupid Zach, Bridget´s Zach in Wtrojad is Awesome Zach!**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN:**

 **I am hesitantly back from summer break, reasons behind my absence are in the Authors note at the bottom of the chapter.**

 **As usual, I do not own a single thing related to the show!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter sixteen**

 _May 4_ _th_ _2016_

 _FC photo studio_

 _Intimates shoot_

"Okay! So, Maya, Sasha, are you ready?" Steffy says with a smile as both Avant's walk through the door with Maya´s mom and Nicole, while she's hanging up the different outfits on two clothing racks, one for each girl.

"Not really, it's not every day your daughter would be flaunting her stuff like that." Vivienne says, making everyone laugh.

"Oh, not to worry Mama, it'll be very nice. This isn't Playboy!" Steffy laughs a little at the look on Vivienne´s face at the Playboy mention. "Trust me, your daughter is perfectly safe! Sasha is too!"

"That's good!" Vivienne smiles at Steffy´s use of the term Mama when she spoke to her.

"So, let's begin! We'll be getting lunch delivered at one thirty and we should be about a third of the way done then. We will need to do the last third tomorrow and then on Friday you're all welcome to stop by to see the photos and see what we did with them!" Steffy directs the last statement to Vivienne. "How are you doing Nicole? I know it's not that long till you give birth."

"I'm doing okay, the usual Braxton-Hicks contractions, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"We brought a couch down for you in case you need to sit somewhere more comfortable then the chairs. This will take a while and lunch isn't for another five hours. There are also pillows to help you become comfortable in case you feel the need to sleep. Remember that if you need anything, like say a ride to the hospital because you're in labor just tell someone!"

"Yes, I think I might take you up on that couch offer right now. My back is hurting a little bit."

"Have at it! My mom should be coming by in a little bit and she can keep you company because I'm guessing Mama will be looking at the shoot?" She turns to Vivienne to get confirmation and she gets it. "Now, we'll be working in colors, so, we're starting with the greens, then work our way towards the white designs. So, let's begin!"

She pulls out the set Maya tried on a few months ago and then another version of the set she tried on the day Hope let the world know she was back and handed it to Sasha. She had a feeling that Maya would be more comfortable in clothes that covered more of her in this first photo shoot for Intimates while Sasha would be comfortable in anything she was handed. This is why Maya had more of the sleep wear part of the line as well as corsets, hipsters and such while Sasha had bras, thongs and that stuff, for the first part of the shoot, Maya would also use the robe that Sasha had in her set.

After the girls had changed in to their little outfits, the photographer started doing his magic and they actually managed to do more then she thought they'd do before lunch.

Her mother had come by just as Steffy said she would and she had walked up to Steffy about ten minutes after she got there and told her something.

"Okay, we'll be breaking for the day here." Sasha and Maya look over at her with confusion on their faces.

"What do you mean breaking for the day?" Sasha is getting a little big angry.

"Well, about two hours ago, my mom came up to me and told me that she'd be taking Nicole to the hospital as she had noticed that Nicole was starting to show signs of labor. She told me to get things done until lunch so that she and Nicole could go to the hospital and get settled before the troops get there. So, we'll be pushing this lunch up until tomorrow and you all can go check on your sister/daughter." She can see the joy in Maya´s eyes and the worry in Vivienne´s eyes.

"Why didn't Taylor tell me?"

"Well, Nicole is in good hands and she felt like she'd be a better support for Nicole to get to the hospital and then you could take over after she's already there and settled. Mom also said that Nicole wanted to let Sasha and Maya do their thing and then have you all come to her when the day was done. I'm the one breaking for the day now, Nicole thought we should get done with what we needed to get done with today. We're already about forty percent done so we've gotten more done than I thought this morning. Those sixty percent that's left will be done tomorrow."

Steffy sees Vivienne calm down.

"Now, how about you three go to the hospital and I'm going to go find Zende and have him go as well. You might want to call your husband and Maya should probably call Rick to let him know the baby is being born."

"Okay, yeah, let's go!"

Steffy sees Sasha and Maya go and change and Vivienne waiting for them and calling Julius as she's waiting, when they leave, Steffy turns to the photographer.

"Well, that was a productive morning don't you think?"

"It sure was, should we take a look at the pictures we've got?"

"Yes, I have the whole afternoon off right now, there should be food coming any minute now so if you want some, feel free to take it." Steffy goes to find her phone to call Bridget and say that lunch has been pushed forward. Hope on the other hand was a different story.

She walks through the door expecting a big gathering of people. The only person she sees is the photographer.

"Hi!" She gets his attention. "Isn't there supposed to be a photo shoot going on today? Where is everyone?"

"Well, the youngest Avant went into labor and the rest of them followed her about thirty minutes ago, miss Forrester will be coming back in a little bit to check out the pictures we took during the mornings shoot and said that there would be food coming in a little bit and that I should help myself if I was hungry."

"Oh, well, that explains it."

"I would hope so, otherwise we're at a big shortage of people." He laughs a little. "Welcome back to LA by the way!"

"Thank you!"

Steffy comes back just as they reach a shortage of things to talk about. "Oh! Hi Hope! I called Bridget just now and we should probably call Katie as well, but she might already be on her way so let's just give her some quality time with her niece. We can have lunch together just the three of us."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Unless you want to go to the hospital as well? I mean this is your niece that's about to be born."

"No, I think I'd be better off worrying here rather than the hospital besides, Nicole has Maya and her mother, I'm guessing Sasha went with them?"

"She did."

"Where's Quinn?" Hope looks around even though she already knows she's not there.

"Deacon called this morning to let me know that Quinn had to cancel with us due to her having had meetings with the toilet or a bucket all night and was finally sleeping comfortably and so he didn't want to wake her up."

"Shouldn't Wyatt have been here instead then?"

"Nah, he felt like he should be at the workshop instead because he'd be needed there more since Quinn wouldn't be at work at all today and that we had a good enough sense for what piece they want with each design, he even sent an inventory list where they'd matched up designs and jewelry. You know, just in case." She can see the disappointment on Hope´s face. "Don't worry, he's coming over tonight. It's pizza night remember!"

Katie walks through the door. "Am I missing something? I thought there was supposed to be a photoshoot going on here right now?"

"Yeah, an hour ago there was. I called break just before lunch so that the Avant´s could go to the hospital and be there for when Nicole gives birth."

"Nicole´s in labor?"

"Yes!" Both Hope and Steffy says at the same time, causing them both to laugh.

"Anyway, the food is coming soon and we figured you'd want some quality time with Hope. I'm joining for the lunch, as is Damon, then Damon and I are going to go check out the photos he took during the shoot."

"Sounds like a plan!" Katie smiles. "Where's Quinn though?"

"She's at home sleeping, did not have a good night. Mom will probably be back when the Avant´s get to the hospital. She took Nicole because the shoot was in full swing and Nicole didn't want to disrupt the shoot. Mama was so into looking at Maya being a model, so mom took Nicole!"

"Oh, poor thing. Maybe I should go see her?" Katie looks at both of the younger women.

"I think she'll be happy if you do. If she's still sleeping, I think Deacon might be happy to have someone to talk to otherwise."

"You want to come with?" Katie asks Hope.

"I'd love to, but I've got stuff to take care of."

"I don't think anyone will be upset with you if you go see your father and his wife while she's battling morning sickness though." Steffy points out. "Besides, I own 37.5% of this company and I am the person taking care of your promotions, you can have the rest of the day off!"

"Thank you! As I said, I'd love to and now my stuff has been taken care of."

Right then, the caterers come in with the food and Damon comes back from getting his computer.

"Well then, it's time to eat."

I'm done!

Over at the Sharpe residence, Deacon was fixing some soup for his wife in case she wanted something to eat, so he had grated some carrots, some potatoes, sliced a leek and grated some swede He had then put it all in a pot, boiled up some water in the kettle and poured it over the vegetables and some herbs, salt and pepper as well as a stock cube.

He had also made sure to keep their ice cube storage large because Quinn would be needing them going forward.

While the soup was gently boiling on the stove, he walked over to the bedroom to check on Quinn. She was still sleeping, so he went back to the kitchen, lowered the heat some more and then went to the living room and found a book.

Twenty minutes later, he turned the stove off, but let the pot stay on the plate, then walked back to continue reading his book. About two hours after that, there was a ring on the doorbell and when he opened it, he was a little surprised.

"Hi honey! Hi Katie! I wasn't expecting to see you here?"

"Well, we weren't supposed to be here, but some stuff happened and Steffy said Quinn wasn't feeling good so we thought we'd stop by and see how she's doing!"

"That's nice of you!" He lets Hope move in for a hug. "Well, welcome to my house!"

"Thank you!" Katie gives him a smile. "So, how are the two of you doing?"

"I'm good, Quinn is sleeping currently, but I can't really blame her. She really had it rough last night."

"Yeah, Steffy told us. But hopefully that'll pass soon!"

"We hope so too!" Hope hugs him again.

"Things will calm down soon. When I was pregnant with Will it took about four months before the morning sickness passed." Sends him a reassuring smile.

"So, how come the photo shoot got pushed forward?"

"Nicole went into labor and they're at the hospital right now. Steffy decided as lunch rolled around to call break on the shoot so that Maya, Sasha and Vivienne could go to the hospital. Taylor went with Nicole to get her settled and she told Steffy about it. We had a wonderful lunch together the four of us after Taylor got back to Forrester Creations." Hope nods her head at her aunt´s statement.

"That's exciting isn't it? Your brother is about to be a father."

"Yeah, it's a shame he won't be raising the baby and that he's living on the other side of the country. But his choices over the last few years have led him to this place and that's the way it is. I doubt Maya and Nicole would ever keep him from seeing his child, but he put himself in this position."

"Hopefully everything will be okay. I hear he's thriving in New York though!"

"He is and he sent me a very nice 'welcome home'-text after the press conference and then I got a flower arrangement the next day. He was very proud of me!"

There are noises coming from the bedroom and Katie is the only one who hears it, so she goes to investigate.

She finds Quinn trying to get out of bed but having a great deal of trouble with it.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Quinn snaps her head over at the door to check on who's asking, causing a pounding in her head.

"Oh, I'm trying to get to the bathroom because I need to pee, but I have a headache and it's hard getting out of bed."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Let me help!" Katie walks over, places her arms around Quinn´s torso and pulls her up from the bed. Quinn puts her right arm around Katie´s shoulders and then they walk Quinn to the bathroom.

Quinn takes care of what she needs to do and then she looks up at Katie. "When did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be at a photoshoot?"

"We're here to see you, Steffy told us you weren't doing to good, so Hope and I decided to come see you. The photoshoot got postponed because Nicole is giving birth as we speak. So, how are you other than the headache?" Katie helps her off the toilet to the sink and then back to the bed.

"Well, last night was not a good night, but right now the headache is the biggest problem I have. The morning sickness calmed down pretty early this morning. A little bit hungry right now."

"Deacon has a pot of something cooking on the stove that smelled amazing when we got here. Do you want me to go get some of that?"

"Could you?" Quinn sees Katie nod her head. "Thank you!"

Katie goes back out to Deacon and Hope. "Quinn is a little bit hungry, so I asked if she wanted some of the food you have in the pot on the stove and she said she wanted some."

Deacon goes to the kitchen and fixes a tray with a bowl of soup, a glass of water, a smaller glass with orange juice and a plate with a piece of buttered bread, then he goes to his wife with it.

Katie has sat down next to Hope on the couch while Deacon fixed lunch for his wife.

"Is she okay?"

"A headache at the moment, otherwise she's doing okay. The morning sickness from last night subsided this morning."

"That's good!"

"It is. Hopefully it'll calm down soon."

Deacon comes back with a tray filled with an empty bowl, glasses and plate. "It's the first thing she's eaten since yesterday!" He says with so much pride in his voice that the smile on his lips multiplies to Katie and Hope´s lips as well.

"Well, considering what she's been up to last night, I can't say I'm surprised that she ate it all!"

"Yeah, she liked it a lot, I'm glad I made that soup. She's going to be sleeping for a little while now and then I'm going to go back in with a second round of food."

"Sounds like a plan! I think a lot of that headache came from not having eaten for a while."

Deacon smiles at his former aunt-in law. Katie then gets this serious look on her face.

"I'd like to thank you for coming back to LA when you did and bringing your son with you!" Deacon is taken back a little.

"Well, my daughter needed me and then Ridge called asking about Memories and if DJ would like to model for it and how he could get in touch with him. DJ felt it was time to move on from Genoa City and here we are."

"Well, thank you either way! Yeah, there's been a few rough parts on the way, but it worked out well in the end!"

Hope gives a big smile. "It sure did. So, have you been to the OB again and looked at the baby?"

The smile that forms on Deacon´s face is like the sun breaking through rain clouds. "We have actually. Wanna see pictures?"

Both Katie and Hope nod their heads furiously. Deacon gets up from where he's sitting, goes into the bedroom and finds his wife knocked out cold on the bed snoozing away. He walks over to her side of the bed, gives her a kiss on her forehead and then goes to find the pictures.

When he comes back, he hands them to Katie first. Katie takes one look and then her head whips up and she looks at him with surprise all over her face. "Are you serious?" Deacon nods his head. "No wonder she's gotten everything double from when she was pregnant with Wyatt! I mean, I know it's been what? 30 years between pregnancies, but still!" The surprise turns into a smile. "Congratulations! How are you feeling?"

Meanwhile, Hope just looks at both of them with confusion on her face, so she looks over her aunt´s shoulder and sees what Katie saw.

In the ultrasound, as clear as day, are two different sacs with a baby each in them. "Does Wyatt know?"

Deacon turns his head to look at his daughter. "No, not yet, you're actually the first people we've told."

Hope gets off the couch and walks over to her father and gives him a hug. "So, when are they due?"

"Well, we're hoping they'll reach at least 36 weeks and that would be around the 11th of October. Hopefully they'll stay in there for a while longer, but with Quinn´s age and that they're twins, 36 weeks is what we're hoping for."

"There are so many babies coming this year! You're having two, Taylor and Nick are having one as well, that we know of, Nicole is giving birth to her and Maya´s daughter as we speak, Ridge and Caroline had a baby a few weeks ago and Thorne is having one with his fiancé. So many babies!" There's a twinkle in Hope´s eyes as she's talking.

"2016 is the year of the babies in this family!" Katie proclaims.

"It certainly looks like it!" Deacon agrees with a smile.

I'm done!

They had already been to confirm the pregnancy, but now was the time for the first ultrasound. They walked through the door to Bridget´s office hand in hand and said their hello´s, Bridget looked up as they entered and a huge smile broke out on her face as she said hello.

"So, are you ready to see this baby?"

Taylor gives a sigh and then nods her head. Bridget gets up from her office and leads them across the hall. "So just hop onto the table and we'll begin!"

Bridget sits down on the stool next to the machine and waits for Taylor to have gotten comfortable and ready. "So, this will be a little cold."

"Yeah." Taylor reaches for Nick´s hand and he gladly gives it to her.

Bridget picks up the receiver and starts moving it around Taylor´s belly. She presses a button and one of the most wonderful sounds of the world comes out of the speakers.

"Well, as you can hear, the baby´s heartbeat is strong, and it should be about 9 weeks along. Which makes the due date around the seventh of December. You are about four weeks behind Quinn and Deacon´s baby."

"Oh, it'll be nice to be pregnant while someone else in the family is pregnant. I mean, I know Veronica is also pregnant, but there's an entire ocean and a continent between us. Having Quinn so close is going to be awesome."

"Good! Did you stay long with Nicole by the way?"

"Oh, you know about that?" Taylor smiles. "I stayed with her for about two and a half hour, Mama, Maya and Sasha came after that and Mama filled me in on what had happened at the shoot."

"Yeah, Steffy called me to cancel lunch today, since the Avant´s would be busy and Quinn lying in bed after her battle with the toilet last night."

"I went back there for a bit and Steffy showed me some of the photos. They were really good! Anyway, after talking to the OB, she said that since baby girl Avant is born three weeks early, her and Nicole will have to stay until tomorrow afternoon, but they should be released after that unless something happens. Steffy said that Katie and Hope had gone to see Quinn and Deacon."

Nick´s been sitting quietly in awe over the little peanut shape on the screen and not hearing what his soon to be wife again and ex-wife was talking about. Taylor sees the wonder on his face and gets Bridget´s attention and points to Nick. Bridget starts chuckling and smiles at Taylor.

She puts down the wand and grabs Taylor´s other hand. "Thank you for letting him back in!"

"Looking into Jack´s eyes that first day I knew my heart wanted both of them, so here we are!"

"I'm sorry about bringing Zach back into your life the way I did." Bridget can see the hurt flash in Taylor´s eyes.

"It's okay, you couldn't have known."

"I should have though. I should have talked to Steffy or Ridge or Nick about it before inviting him."

"Well, what's done is done. So, how are you and CJ doing?"

Bridget is about to start cleaning the gel from Taylor´s belly, this wakes Nick from his hypnosis.

"No! I want to see more!" Bridget just laughs and then places the receiver on Taylor´s belly again and turns the sound on again so they can listen to the baby´s heartbeat a little more.

I'm done!

The clock had rushed forward for her that day, the photoshoot had gone by in a flash and then she had ended it and after lunch she and Damon had gone through the photos taken that morning. Right now, she was admiring the picture sent to her from Maya of her new baby daughter and hears a knocking on her office door so she looks up from the picture to see Hope standing in the doorway.

"Hey! How was Quinn and Deacon doing?" Steffy places her phone on the desk in front of her as Hope walks through the door.

"Well, they went to an ultrasound on Friday and has been hiding something from us. Dad and Quinn are telling DJ and Wyatt as we speak and they told me to tell you about it."

"There's nothing wrong with the baby, right?"

"No, they just got some unexpected news that they weren't prepared for."

"Okay? You're scaring me here."

Hope just takes her phone out, pulls up the picture she took of the ultrasound and hands her phone over to Steffy.

"Oh my God!" Steffy´s jaw drops as she's looking at the picture. "They're having twins?"

"Yes!" Hope says with the biggest smile on her lips. "So, you ready to go home? It's pizza night remember!"

"Are the boys coming? Or should we decrease the amount of pizzas?" Steffy gets up after turning her computer off and starts gathering her things.

"DJ should be coming by later, Wyatt might join him, I'm not really sure, it sounded a little up in the air."

"Well then, we'll just order one big one to share then?" Steffy looks to Hope for confirmation. "Now, I'm ready!"

The two girls leave Steffy´s office to go to Steffy´s car. Hope had gotten a ride with Steffy to work and then Katie had driven to Deacon and Quinn´s house.

They get in the car and Steffy takes off.

"So, have you heard from Liam yet?" Steffy shifts gear as she's stopped at a red light waiting to head off again.

"No, and I don't think he'll be getting in touch either. I've blocked him on my phone and e-mail, so I have no idea if he's been in touch either. How about you?"

"No, not since what? The Monday of the week you came out to the world as being in LA again? He sent me a text about the pictures I had posted teasing your return to the company. Apparently, he didn't like them much."

"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to listen to his opinions!"

"Let's just say I'm happy he is where he is."

"Me too! I wouldn't have had the courage to come back otherwise because I knew he wouldn't let me work things out with Wyatt, especially after you dumped him."

"Well, he only has himself to blame. If he couldn't give back what he got, then he shouldn't get what I gave him. So here we are. Him deported to New York and myself in a relationship with a man that gives as good as he gets and I'm so happy."

"Have you thought about letting Ivy come back to LA?" Hope can see that Steffy isn't really ready for this conversation just yet.

"Not until she realizes that what she did was wrong. Yeah, I could've stopped her by going to the police myself, but she should've had enough sense to get out of the car and yell at her best friend and ask what she was doing." Steffy speeds off on the freeway. "Anyway, Thorne left for Paris and I went to the police and told them what happened after I remembered everything. I don't blame Thorne for wanting to leave LA. It's what I did after losing my baby."

"Maybe we should stop talking about this." Hope says gently. "I can see the tears forming in your eyes and you are driving."

"Yeah, it's too heavy a conversation to have in the car. Either way, I'm happy Liam supported me through it, but those few months of support doesn't make the years of support that I needed go away."

"It sure doesn't."

The rest of the ride home was spent in a comfortable silence that wouldn't have been possible a few years ago.

They walk through the door of the big house and is greeted by two boxes of pizza on the living room table.

"Well, that's odd. Thomas isn't supposed to be in LA at all right now and both DJ and Wyatt weren't coming until later. So, who could be here right now?" Both girls look at each other and then they hear someone puttering about in the kitchen so they go to investigate.

What they see make their jaws drop. Steffy clears her throat and their guest turns towards them. "What are you doing here?" Steffy stares their visitor down. "And more importantly, why are you here?"

Hope takes out her phone and sends a 911 text to as many people as she can.

I'm done!

"Hey dad!" DJ has just spotted the text from his sister. "We got to go. 911 at Hope and Steffy´s place!"

Wyatt springs into action and after kissing his mother on the top of her head saying congratulations on the twins, he and DJ sprint out to the car with Deacon following close behind. Neither of the young men think they've driven that stretch of road as fast ever.

When they get to the house, CJ, Nick and Ridge just pull up and they all fly out of the car.

"What do you think is going on?"

"Well, I can only think of one reason." The faces on all the men change as realization dawns on them.

"Liam." Five of the men exclaim at the same time. Ridge walk up to the front door and knocks on the door.

When neither of the girl's answers, Ridge pulls out his extra key and opens the door and all six guys walk through the door.

They can hear Steffy talking on the other side of the door to the kitchen.

"So, you wanna tell me why you're here? Cause I can't think of one reason for you to be here. Can you?" She's obviously talking to Hope at the end.

"No, not really."

" _Hey, why don't Wyatt and I go in there, it is pizza night after all._ " DJ whispers as a suggestion and Wyatt just nods his head.

They start talking about the twins and then they walk into the kitchen. DJ walks over to Steffy and gives her a kiss and Wyatt does the same with Hope.

"Hey!" DJ smiles into the kiss. "Who were you talking to?"

Steffy just points at Liam and DJ looks over. "Well, he looks a little familiar, where have I seen him before?"

"Well, remember that time at the coffee shop when he came in berating me for spending time with an old friend?" Steffy looks up into his eyes.

"Yeah, look how that turned out! You left me for him!" Liam says with disgust.

"You know, that 'good boy'-image you presented yourself with when I first met you really is wearing thin right now." Wyatt says from his side of the kitchen.

"Hey Wyatt!" Steffy calls for his attention.

"Yeah?"

"At what time did you help me move out of the Cliff house and at what time did DJ come back to LA?"

"I believe I helped you move about two, maybe three days, before DJ came to town? Could that be right?" Wyatt scratches his head.

"Sounds about right to me. Liam ended up on that plane on the 4th of January, I moved out on the fifth and DJ came into town on the 7th of January. Or do I have that date wrong?" Steffy looks over at her boyfriend.

"Nah, that's what I remember too!"

"So, you see? I left you two days before DJ even got into town. Not my fault that you can't take responsibility for your own actions!" Steffy glares at him. "I spent five years loving you unconditionally, but you couldn't do that back so here we are!"

On the other side of the door, Nick, CJ, Ridge and Deacon listen in on the conversation.

"I think they're handling this quite well don't you think?" Deacon looks around.

"Yeah, I would have to agree with you on that. I'm going to make a call to Bill and see what he has to say about this." Ridge says before walking away to make the call, he comes back a few minutes later. "He's on his way. Had a lot to say about it."

So, they wait. After a heated discussion in the kitchen for the last 35 minutes, Bill finally knocks on the door. Ridge lets him in and points him into the direction of the kitchen.

Bill walks through the door and focuses on his son. "Well, remember the condition you had for being allowed back here?"

"Yes!"

"Have you fulfilled it?"

"I would say so yes."

Bill snaps his fingers and DJ and Steffy kiss with smiles on their lips.

"Take your lips off of my fiancé!" Liam growls.

"You just made my point. Off to New York you go!" Bill walks around the kitchen counter and starts ushering his son out the door. "Go on!"

"But I need to talk to my fiancé!"

"And who is that? The woman kissing Deacon's son or the woman kissing your brother?" Bill keeps shooing Liam out the door.

"Steffy!"

"I don't want to talk to you though! Get that through your head! I'm loved now in the way you should have loved me!"

"Oh please, you're just being manipulated!"

"Yeah, no, I disagree with that."

"I would have to agree with Steffy there, she is being loved the way you should have loved her, one hundred percent and loyally!" Bill interjects.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me!"

Hope´s eyebrows has risen in confusion.

"What did you think she'd do after you kissed someone behind her back and then went to this someone´s aid every time and didn't think about what your Rescue Ranger attitude was doing to your relationship? I mean she found out at your brother's proposal that you'd been kissing another woman behind her back by Quinn no less!"

Liam is taken back by this announcement.

"You didn't think that Steffy and I talk, did you?" Hope says with a smirk on her lips. "Oh, I know all about the Green Card-wedding and the kissing and the blackmail and all of that. Really? You didn't even think to check if it was true or not? Oh, that's right. You never do, you just jump into stuff without thinking about the consequences. Seriously, you go there to break up with Ivy and then you come back to Steffy married? Talk about a crappy decision."

"Are you seriously forgetting that Wyatt was a part of that blackmail scheme?"

Steffy sees that Wyatt looks so guilty at his brother's statement and then turns her head to look at her boyfriend, who just nods his head.

"I forgave Wyatt for that because he helped put an end to it, Wyatt was also only doing it to prove to Ivy that he loved her while he was being used by her." Steffy tells her former fiancé while walking over to Wyatt and Hope to give Wyatt a reassuring hug. She whispers to him to not listen to what his brother's saying and that it's okay.

Wyatt smiles at her and gives her an extra hug while Hope looks on with a smile on her lips.

"Oh please, you're gonna steal another one of Hope´s boyfriends from her?" Liam snares at her.

All five of the other adults starts laughing.

"Did you know that when I first got back to LA, Quinn actually thought of bringing Wyatt and I together as a couple?" Steffy says while her eyes sparkle with glee looking at Liam as he takes a deep breath in. "However, when she noticed how you reacted to me not wanting anything to do with you after you married Ivy, she put those thoughts on the shelf because she knew as well as Wyatt and I do that we'd never be a couple. There was someone out there waiting for me and I've always felt like Wyatt would be Hope´s perfect match. Now, how about you do what your **boss** tells you to do and get out of my house!"

Bill starts herding Liam out the door again.

"Oh, by the way, Liam!" DJ wants his attention and Liam gives it to him. "Don't be surprised if you see an Engagement announcement on Steffy´s Instagram soon!"

They see him change and as he lunges for DJ, both Wyatt and Bill grab a hold of him. Both Steffy and Hope are surprised, a little bit shocked at the announcement and the way Liam just lunged at DJ. Steffy walks over to DJ and sees the sparkle of mirth in his eyes letting her know that he was just trying to get a reaction out of Liam.

"It's time to go to New York, Liam!" Bill slaps the back of Liam´s head. "Stay there until you lose this sense of entitlement!"

"Don't make me have to put a restraining order on you Liam, because that's where you're heading right now!" Steffy says with finality.

They move from the kitchen into the living room, which is surprisingly empty and watch Bill pull Liam out by his arm.

Bill had called his pilot and told him to have the jet ready for when he got there with a flight plan ready for a trip to New York and that he should not listen to anything that Liam says.

After the front door has closed behind them, Ridge, CJ, Nick and Deacon appear from under the stair case.

"Well, if he doesn't understand now, I doubt he ever will!" Ridge says with a sigh.

"Thank you for coming, dad!" Steffy says after walking over to give him a hug. "And thank you Uncle Nick and Deacon and CJ as well!"

"Oh, you're welcome sweetheart!" Nick says after having gotten a hug of his own.

"It sounded like you had everything under control though when we got here."

"I think we did have him under control, but sometimes you need back up in case everything goes wrong! So, like Steffy said, thank you for coming!" Hope sends a smile towards her sister's boyfriend.

"Always happy to help!" CJ smiles big at his girlfriend's little sister.

"Now, since the situation has solved itself, maybe Nick should go home to his pregnant fiancé, dad should go home to his pregnant wife, Ridge should go home to his little son and wife, CJ might follow Nick?" Hope looks around and gets confirmation. "Congratulations again on the twins, dad! I can't wait to meet them!"

This announcement from Hope causes jaws to drop with the three that didn't already know. Ridge recovers first and walks over to give Deacon a big hug and then the rest follows.

"We just had our first ultra sound today, but there's only one for us!" Nick says as he gives Deacon a hug.

"Well, sometimes one is just enough!"

"Sure is!"

"Anyway, it's time to go! Although, I have to ask before I leave, how did the photoshoot go?" Ridge turns back to his daughter.

"It went great, but I had to cut it short at lunch to let Mama, Maya and Sasha go to the hospital to be with Nicole, she had the baby today!" Steffy says with a big smile.

"Oh, should probably call Maya then?"

"Rick too! I really wish he could've been here when the baby was born. But it is what it is. A gorgeous baby girl though!"

"That's good!" Ridge smiles. "Anyway, good night everyone!"

So, everyone except DJ and Wyatt leaves. "So, what are we going to do with these?"

Wyatt points towards the boxes of pizza. Steffy and Hope just shrugs, DJ walk up to them and opens the boxes. "Ugh, vegan pizzas."

"Well, that settles that then." Wyatt goes and takes the boxes, walks outside and dumps them in the trash can. "What do you say we order a couple of pizzas?"

Steffy checks her wrist watch. "Sorry, I got to get up early tomorrow, Sasha should be coming to get the next part of the photoshoot done, I'm guessing Maya will be staying with Nicole and the baby at the hospital."

"Hey, could we do the Hope for the Future shoot tomorrow and let Sasha stay with her sisters and the baby?"

"I guess we could, we were supposed to do that on Thursday anyway, we could do it tomorrow and let them settle in. Or maybe do the swimsuit portion for California Freedom?"

"Oh yes! That would probably work!"

"So, let's go to bed!" Steffy says just before she starts yawning.

Hope and Wyatt leave to go to the guest house while Steffy and DJ go upstairs. The four of them fall asleep almost instantly.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Summer did not turn out the way I wanted it to. My plan of getting as many chapters out as possible came to a halt when the temperatures went up in to the high 90's, I don't do heat very well, so I spent most of my time this summer sleeping, going into town to get my driver's license or cooking!**

 **Right now, school is also picking up and, in a few weeks, I'll be going to a care facility to test out what it's like in the real world!**

 **This chapter has been through the ringer though, it's been through four different run throughs to make sure everything is what it's supposed to be!**

 **Tell me what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

 **Hi everyone!**

 **I'm posting this chapter because i won't have time in the next few weeks and I promised an update in January. School is kicking my butt with three exams over the next two weeks and assignments that are being turned in. I hope you understand and continue reading my stories anyway!**

 **A lot of Liam in this chapter. Apparently, he's not done making me not like him that much in this story!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter seventeen**

 _The Spencer jet._

Liam was fuming. The pilot had not let him off the plane after Bill had left them no matter what he said.

How could neither Bill nor Steffy see it, that man was just using Steffy? He could see how much Steffy loved him whenever he caught her eyes on him, there was just no way Steffy had moved on from him and now she was being used by that man. He couldn't even bring himself to say or even think his name.

The way he said that there might be an engagement announcement on Steffys Instagram soon made his blood boil, how Steffy couldn't see that she was being manipulated and used was beyond him.

The fact that Hope was allowing Steffy to be used wasn't that hard to believe though, especially after everything that Steffy did to Hope. Seriously, she outed Hopes mother having sex with Hopes boyfriend at her graduation for goodness sake and she seduced himself away from Hope.

He's currently sitting in a seat on the plane and tapping his fingers against the armrest building up the anger that started festering after Steffy told him that she wasn't interested in building back their relationship to what it was before Ivy flew down the stairs in the Forrester Mansion. Before she coldly told him that she'll see him at home that same day. He really couldn't see what he did that was so wrong to cause her to act the way she did.

He felt she had reacted way to harshly after his surprise trip to Australia by moving out of the house and immediately move on to DJ without even a thought of his feelings or the fact that she was being manipulated and the fact that she listened to Wyatt when he was telling her what a 'whateverhecalled' him. He didn't believe either of them when she said that Wyatt had just come by to show her the new designs and Wyatt had agreed with her. No, Wyatt had been badmouthing Liam and Liam was so sure of that he'd punched him.

About three quarters of the way to New York, Liam had made a decision. He's not going to allow that man to use Steffy the way he's doing and he's going to do whatever he can to make sure he leaves LA within the end of the month.

A smile forms on his lips as glee fills his eyes at the thought of driving that man from Liams fiancés life and LA for good.

I'm done!

 _May 5_ _th_ _2016_

Steffy woke up the next morning wrapped in her boyfriend's arms.

"Mmm. Good morning!" He places a kiss on the top of her head and feels her turn around.

"Good morning!" She lifts her head up and gives him a gentle kiss on his lips. "What time is it?"

He turns his head around and checks the time. "It's 5:30. We should get up and get moving for that photo shoot of yours today and I need to finish the last designs for my part of Memories!"

"Yeah, we should get going. But first, ten minutes in the arms of my beloved!" Steffy snuggles in deeper in his arms.

About seven minutes later and just as they are losing their battle against the Sandman again, someone knocks on their door and then walks inside only to jump on their bed.

"Aren't we supposed to be getting to work early today? Why are you people still in bed?" Hope then ends up sitting on the bed with her feet tucked under her.

"Well, we were taking ten minutes of bonding time and we had three minutes left. But apparently my sister didn't want us to have those last three minutes, so we're getting up right now!"

"Good! I'm ready to go!" Hope gets off the bed and walks to the door. "I'll wait by the car!"

"Is Wyatt coming with us?" Steffy lifts her head up to look at Hope for her answer.

"No, he's gone to Dad and Quinns house to get his car then he'll be at the shoot after that."

"Okay! I'll see you in a little bit!"

The two lovebirds look at each other with laughter in their eyes. "Has she always been like that?"

"Nah, well, she was when she was younger. Jumping on my bed was her favorite past time when she was little and we lived in the same house. I believe Phoebes bed got the same treatment. No matter how many times we told Brooke to make her stop, she wouldn't. Then she did one jump to many and ended up breaking her arm and after that it took some time for her to start it again, apparently being in Milan brought it back full swing."

"Well, I kind of like that she's still got her inner child inside her."

"Yeah, I lost that child the moment I lost my baby. But it had been vanishing for a few years before that. But, enough of that. What are your feelings on what Liam said yesterday?"

"Oh, I've waited twenty-two years for you, I ain't letting go now!"

Steffy looks up at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you're stuck with us!"

"Us?" Steffy chuckles a little.

"Yeah, me, dad, Hope, the twins, Wyatt, Quinn and Amber!"

"Oh, right! Well, they're all good people to have?"

DJ just nods his head in agreement.

I'm done!

 _Spencer Publications_

 _Bill Spencers office._

Bill is sitting at his desk wondering how much of what happened yesterday should be told to his sister as he's waiting for her to answer the phone.

" _Hello_!"

"Hi Karen!"

" _Oh, hi Bill! How can I help you_?"

"Guess who stopped by Steffy and Thomas house yesterday with pizzas?"

" _Well, I can only think of one person you'd have to ask me that question about. I take it I have an angry Liam to deal with at work today?_ "

"More than likely. Some words were spoken and Liam still hasn't taken the clue that Steffy just isn't interested in him anymore."

" _How about we send him off to Paris? Because being on the same continent doesn't seem to do the trick?_ "

"Yeah, maybe, but let's give him a month, but limit his contact with this side of the country. Maybe ban numbers to California on both his work and cell phone?" Bill sighs. "I have a feeling there's going to be manipulations done on his part to get DJ and Steffy to split up. He still sees her as his fiancé."

" _Yeah, we got to do something about that. I'll get my tech guys on that instantly._ "

"Make it password protected and make it hard! He'll get around it some way otherwise."

" _I'll let them know! So, how angry was he when you put him on the plane back to New York?_ "

"You could see the smoke coming out of his ears. I really hate to do this to him, but it seems it's the last resort. If this doesn't work we'll send him to Paris or Singapore."

" _Yeah, I'll get my people on that as soon as we hang up. So, how's Caroline and Douglas doing?"_

"They're doing wonderfully! That baby is growing so much!" There's a knock on his door, so he calls come in and in walks his niece with her baby boy. "Speaking of which, guess who just walked through the door?"

"Is that mom on the phone?" Caroline whispers and Bill nods his head. "Great, let me talk to her!"

So, he hands over the phone and lets her talk to her mother. He himself walks over to the stroller and takes a good look at the baby in it. When he sees that Douglas is awake, he smiles and sees the baby smile back at him, although he probably shouldn't call it a smile.

Ten minutes later, Caroline hangs up the phone. "So, mom told me to tell you that she'll get on that phone thing right now."

"Good!" Bill sends a smile her way. "So, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, my husband came back late last night being all grumpy and irritable talking to himself and wouldn't say anything to me. Do you know what that was about?"

"I do. Unfortunately."

"So?"

"Your cousin decided to drop by Steffy and Thomas house last night with pizza."

"Okay? What's so bad about Wyatt going to Steffy and Thomass house with pizza?"

Bill just sends her a look. "Oh, it wasn't Wyatt. It was Liam."

"Yeah, Hope sent out a 911-text to the men in the family and they went and helped them. Ridge then called me and asked if I had something to say to my son, which I did and then things happened. Let's just say that Liam is not happy right now. He's probably angry with everyone in the family."

"Well, he's only got himself to blame. You can't treat family like that and not expect there to be consequences."

"That is true. But I guess I shouldn't talk much myself."

"Oh, Bill, yeah, sure, what you did to break Hope and Liam up maybe weren't the best things, but you never used violence against either of them. You only planted ideas in their heads and people in front of them and it's not your fault they took the bait."

"When did you get so insightful? Where's this coming from?"

"I think it happened the moment Douglas was handed to me."

"Another thing we can thank Ridge for then." Bill chuckles.

"Yes! Thank you for realizing that I needed to be with him!"

"It took some time, but after a while I could see the way the two of you behaved near each other and it just looked right!"

"So, when are you going to find your love then?"

"I don't know, I'm thinking I should focus on work for a bit and then we'll see after that. It's too soon after Katie."

"Seems to me like you've grown quite a bit as a person yourself!"

"Yeah, I kind of had to!"

Caroline nods her head.

I'm done!

Two weeks later Karen walks into Liams office as he's ending a call with someone she knows he's not supposed to talk to. A text had appeared on her phone claiming that her nephew had called a number he wasn't supposed to be calling.

"So, you want to tell me why you made the call you just did?" Karen stands in front of his desk with her arms crossed over her chest with a serious look on her face.

"What? I can't send flowers to my fiancé?"

"I guess not, but as far as I know, you don't have a fiancé which makes it very weird that you're sending your fiancé flowers. Right?"

Liam just waves her off.

"All right then. You really leave us no choice."

Karen walks out of Liams office and goes to her own, picks up the phone and calls her brother.

" _Hello!_ "

"There will be flowers arriving at either Steffys home or office later today thanks to her former fiancé."

" _Oh, I should give her a heads-up right?_ " Karen confirms. " _I'll get right on that. So, Paris or Shanghai?_ "

"I'm thinking Shanghai right now. He's going to need to have so much on his mind and so much to do that he doesn't have time for anything else." Karen opens up a spreadsheet on her computer. "What better place to do that than our new office in Shanghai?"

" _Yeah, are we sure he's ready for that though?_ "

"Probably not."

" _Maybe we should send someone with him?_ "

"Who should that be than? I don't think we should send one of our female employees with him, so who should we send?"

" _What about Christian?_ "

Karen thinks for a minute or so. "Yeah, that might work. I need to talk to him first though and then he might need to go to LA for a while to get to know what you want."

" _Send him right over! We've got things to talk about anyway._ "

"I'll send for him now. Maybe you can talk to him over the phone as well!"

" _I'll call Steffy in the meantime!_ "

"Sounds like a plan!" Karen sends a pm to Christian and asks him to come see her. Thirty seconds later, she gets a reply that he'll be there in ten minutes.

After five minutes, Bill beckons her attention again.

"Yeah?"

" _Steffys response was to sigh, she says she has a plan for them though. Hoping they'll send a message to Liam._ "

"Really?"

" _Yeah, it won't get much clearer than that. I'm guessing he sent her black roses again, she just got a delivery of flowers from DJ, gorgeous flowers from the sound of her description. But we'll see when the pictures up on Instagram!_ "

"Yeah. It's probably gonna cause a tantrum over here though."

They talk a little bit more and then there's a knock on her door.

She places her hand over the phones mic and calls for the person on the other side to come in. Christian peaks his head through the door.

"He's here now! I'll put you on speaker so you can jump in anytime!" She waves to Christian to come inside. She focuses her gaze on him. "Have a seat!"

"Thank you!" Christian goes to sit down. "What can I do for you?"

" _Well, we need to send my son out of the country and thought what better place than the place of our new office and since we don't really trust him, we need someone to keep an eye on him and I thought you'd be the best for that job._ "

"Really? You want me to move to Shanghai and keep an eye on your son?" He looks at Karen to get confirmation, Karen just nods. "Why?"

"Because he won't let go and he's about to be handed a restraining order. Sending him to Shanghai will save him a police record."

"Oh!" Christian sighs as he leans back in the chair.

" _You'll get compensation for the extra time you put in keeping an eye on him, otherwise you'll do the same thing there as in New York._ "

"Okay, how long are we talking here?"

"Well, we were thinking maybe a year to start with and then we'll see how you are feeling. If you want to come back to the states or not." Just as he stops talking, something slams into the wall in the office next to Karens. "That's Liams office, right?"

"Yeah, Steffy must have posted that picture on Instagram now." All three of the people involved in the conversation pick up their cellphones and look at the newest post by Steffy Forrester.

What they see is a beautiful display of a bouquet of flowers in a vase with a cloud of black and green laying beneath them, with the words:

"Boyfriend sent me flowers, ex-fiancé did too! Guess which didn't meet the scissors!"

"Well, if that doesn't send a big message, I don't know what will?" Karen leans back into her desk chair.

"I'm not going to like working with Liam, am I?"

" _Most likely not!_ "

"That is a beautiful picture though! Steffy has always had such a good eye for that stuff." Karen tilts her head looking back at the picture.

"Okay, not that I'm not flattered or not willing to go to Shanghai, but are you sure Liam wouldn't do good with getting that restraining order put against him? I mean, he's been here for how long now? As far as I know, he hasn't really changed that much since he got here."

Karen and Christian can hear Bill sighing. "Maybe he should get a choice in the matter." Karen leans forwards and leans her elbows on her desk.

" _Call him into your office and ask him, Shanghai or a restraining order."_

"Okay!" Karen picks her phone up and calls Liam. Three minutes later, he walks through the door.

"Okay, here's the deal. You either go to Shanghai with Christian here or you get a restraining order put against you leading to you having to deal with the police next time you send anything to Steffy or Hope. Your choice!"

Liams jaw drops to the floor. "But I haven't done anything wrong!"

" _You really believe that, don't you?"_

"Well, I'm not the one who left me for another man am I?"

"You really didn't see that post on Instagram just now? Steffy does not see a future with you anymore, move on!"

"But she's my fiancé!"

" _You know, if I had seen you act this way back when Ivy was kissing on you, telling you she loved you and only settled for your brother and you actually fought for your relationship, I might still be rooting for you and Steffy."_

"What does Ivy have to do with anything?"

" _Remember what Steffy told you after you came back from dumping Ivy but ended up marrying her instead? That she wasn't going to share her man with another woman ever again?"_

"She hasn't!"

" _Really? Who told her about the kisses that you shared with Ivy? Did you tell her everything that Ivy said?_ "

"I did!"

" _You sure about that?"_

"Yes!"

" _So, Quinn was nowhere near when Wyatt proposed to Ivy?"_

"No, she wasn't. It was just me, Steffy, Ivy and Wyatt!"

"Oh, that's strange." Karen knew where Bill was going with this and pulled up a video on her computer that Bill had sent her a couple of weeks ago. She pulls up the volume and turns her computer around and presses play.

Liam just sits there watching the video of Quinn running through the door just after Wyatt asked Ivy to marry him. Karen turns to Christian and sees his jaw open in shock.

"Now, who was that telling Ivy to be truthful on how she feels about you and all those kisses?"

"I did!"

"Really?

" _You know what? I've heard enough. I'm going to call Steffy now and ask her to follow me to the police station and get that restraining order. I believe she and Hope are about to have lunch._ "

"Why are you doing this to me? Isn't it enough that my fiancé left me for no reason at all?"

" _You're not listening Liam! Steffy left you because she had enough of your waffling and back and forth and the secrets you keep from her with other women!_ "

"Send Steffy, Caroline and Hope my love and tell Hope to tell her father and Quinn I said gratulations!"

" _I will!_ "

"Also, if you manage to get to Thomas before he leaves again for Seattle, tell him I'm proud of him!"

" _Most certainly so!_ "

Karen and Bill say good bye.

"Okay, so, Shanghai is off the table I guess." Christian laughs a little.

"Unless you still want to go?"

"Naw, I kind of like it here in the states! I so would've done it though!"

Karen smiles. "I know!" Then she looks over at Liam. "I guess you'll have a meeting with some people soon."

Liam just glares at her and leaves the office.

"Well, that was a productive phone call." Karens shoulders drop and she lays her head in the palms of her hands.

"I can't imagine that was easy in any way."

"No, it wasn't and I'm going to need wife-cuddles when I get home." Karen sighs deeply. "I was thinking about sending you to LA for a bit though!"

"Really? Why?"

"Well, to save you from Liams glares for a bit, but also to give you experience working at both headquarters." Karen looks up from her desk again. "I want to know that I have someone I trust to take care of business on both coasts should something happen or I need a vacation or something. I can't really trust Liam you know and the only other Spencer option I don't think would like to spend time with Liam right now as well as he's rebuilding his relationship with his ex-wife at the moment."

"That does make sense! When do I leave?"

"How much time do you need?"

"Well, I could leave on Monday if that's okay?"

"Sure!" Karen pulls her computer back. "I'll get in touch with Bill when he gets back and then I'll let you know if he can take you on next week!"

"Sounds like a plan!"

I'm done!

Steffy walks around the corner and lifts her hand up to knock on the door to Hopes office when her phone starts ringing.

"Hey!"

" _Hello! What are you doing right now?_ "

"I'm standing outside of Hopes office about to take her to lunch. Why do you ask?"

" _Well, I had a phone call a little while ago and the short story is that we gave Liam two options and he said he hadn't done anything wrong so he saw no point in choosing to go to Shanghai for the next year, so I was wondering if you've thought about that restraining order anymore?_ "

"I'm thinking maybe Hope should be in on this conversation." Bill agrees so Steffy knocks on the door to Hopes office. She can hear Hope telling her to come in through the door.

When Steffy walks through the door, there are design sheets all over the office. "Well, someones been productive this morning?"

Hope looks up from what she's doing and scratches her head. "No, not really, I've just placed next seasons designs to see what order I want them on the runway. But I just can't decide!"

"I can see that!"

"What's going on?"

"Well, 1. It's time for lunch and 2. I have Bill on the phone and he needs to talk to us both."

"Oh. Are the guys coming with us to lunch and Liam screwed up again right?"

"They're not and he apparently did!" Steffy sighs as she closes the door. "Okay, I'm putting you on speaker now Bill."

" _Okay, hi Hope! How are you doing?_ " They can actually hear the smile in Bills voice.

"Hi Bill! I'm good, a little stressed as you probably heard. How are you doing?"

" _Well, I just got off the phone with New York and I'm guessing you saw Steffys latest post on Instagram?_ "

"Oh, how's Karen and Danielle doing?" She starts looking for her phone. "No, I haven't seen it actually, but I'm searching for it now! Give me a second!"

" _By the way Steffy, that was a really beautiful picture!_ "

"Thank you, Bill!"

" _Karen and Christian loved it!_ "

"Oh, why was Christian there?"

"Oh, if that won't send a message to Liam I don't know what would!" Hope laughs a little.

" _Well, unfortunately it didn't. He's still hellbent on Steffy still being his fiancé. So, we gave him an offer I thought he wouldn't refuse._ "

"So, he refused I take it?" Hope sighs.

" _He did. The options he had was a restraining order or move to Shanghai. He declined Shanghai because he felt he'd done nothing wrong. So, my question is if you two would like to follow me to the police station and file a restraining order against my son. Trust me, he won't let go otherwise._ "

"I really don't want to and I don't think Hope does either?" Steffy looks over at Hope and sees her shake her head. "But if it's the only thing that will get him to leave me alone, I guess that's what I have to do?"

"If there's really nothing else you can do, I guess that's what we should do?"

"So, we'll see you at the police station in a little while then?"

Bill lets them know which station he's going to and then they meet there within the hour. Two hours later they walk out of it.

"I can't believe it had to come to this." A shiver moves along Steffys back.

"Me neither, but it had to be done!" Bill lets out a breath he's been holding in since just before they walked out through the doors.

Hope moves to give Steffy a hug. A smile breaks out on Bills face. "I can't believe how far the two of you have come."

Both girls look over at Bill and smile. "Well, take away the cheater and rediscover the bond we had when we were younger and we'll go far. It's already happened!"

Steffy brings Hope closer and then both let the other go.

"Oh, Karen sent a message to you through me to send along to Deacon and Quinn." Bill says with a smile on his face.

"Really? What could that be then?"

"She wanted to tell them congratulations!" Bill accepts the hug that Hope offers him. "Oh, and Christian is coming over for a few weeks soon, he was there when we talked to Liam and Karen called me after asking him about it that she thought he might want to leave the city for a while to get away from the glares Liam more than likely will be throwing his way."

Steffy starts smiling. "Oh! I can't wait!"

"I'll let them know!"

"Where is he going to live?" Steffy asks.

"Well, since Thomas is leaving tomorrow and is going to be away for at least three weeks and Hope has already moved into the house, I thought he could live in the pool house?"

Hope is confused. "Who is this Christian person?"

Steffy just smiles. "He's my best friend from college."

"Oh!"

Laughter fills the air. "Yeah, you should've seen Steffys face when I let it slip that I had a Christian Morgan working for me. Apparently, Karen wants him to take over her end of the company in case something happens. As it stands right now she doesn't trust Liam and neither do I."

"You'll understand why I love him so much when you meet him!" Steffy puts her arm around Hopes shoulders. "Anyway, tell him we have a home with a bedroom, closet and kitchen for him for the next few weeks!"

"That's good!" Bill smiles. "I'll let him know!"

"Let's get back to work!" Steffy starts walking to the car.

"Hey Steffy!" Bill exclaims.

"Yeah?"

"Karen sent a message to send her love to you, Caroline and Hope and to tell Thomas that she's proud of him!"

"I'll let him know!"

The three of them then part ways and Steffy and Hope goes to Steffys car.

"So.." Steffy opens the driver side door and gets in the car and waits for Hope to get in on the passenger side. "You know how Quinn is going to be taking time off to be with the twins when they get here?"

"Yeah?" Hope says with hesitation on her voice.

"And you know how conversations about Ivy aren't supposed to take place inside the car?"

"Yeah?"

"It's time for a car conversation about Ivy."

"Okay?"

"I think you should talk to Quinn about her maternity leave and letting Ivy design for her during that time."

"Why?"

"Because I got an e-mail from Ivy last week and we had a conversation after that. I'm not going to forgive her just yet, but I don't think my feelings should stand in the way of Quinns maternity leave not affecting her company. Ivy is the best one for the job and me being the only thing that's keeping her from coming back right now is not fair to Quinn or her company. Just help me make sure that Ivy and I aren't alone in the same room together for any longer period of time and we'll be fine."

"I can help with that! Plus, didn't you say that everything for Memories is already done jewelry design wise?"

"Yeah, she's working on HFTF right now. I think Ivy should start on Forrester Bridal."

"Should we go see Quinn then?" Hope turns to look at her former stepsister. "I think she said she should be at work today."

"Yeah, let's go!"

I'm done!

Thomas is packing his bag for the next few weeks when Steffy walks through the door of the pool house. He looks up and he sees the smile on her lips that almost reaches her eyes.

"What did he do this time?"

"He refused to move to Shanghai over getting a restraining order, so Bill, Hope and I have been to the police and we filed a restraining order. I really didn't want to, but I've had enough."

"Well, it was about time. Don't worry, he won't be able to do anything in regards to you and DJ. You two are solid!" Thomas smiles.

"That we are!" Steffy smiles and all of a sudden, the smile reaches her eyes. "Christian is coming for a visit next week! Karen needs him to be able to work on both coasts in case something happens"

"And I'm going to be gone the entire time? That sucks!"

"Yeah. But you'll see him before he goes back to New York!"

"That's good! Where's he living?"

"Right here. I mean, you won't be here and it'll be fun when you get back."

"Give him a hug from me!"

"Absolutely!"

"I have one more thing I need to talk to you about." Steffy starts hesitating.

"What might that be then?" Thomas walks over to the bed and takes a seat while waving Steffy to join him.

"I've already talked to Hope about it and she agreed, then we went and talked to Quinn about it and she felt it was the best course of action."

"So, you want Ivy to come back to the states for when Quinn goes on maternity leave?"

"Yes, I'm not ready to forgive her yet, but Quinn is having twins and they'll be taking a lot of her time and I don't want her company to fail because she's not there designing for future collections. Besides, I believe that Ivy is the best designer for Forrester Bridal."

"Yeah, I understand why you want her to come back!" Thomas nods his head. "It makes sense! I'm just worried about you and how you're going to react when you see her again."

"Oh, Hope is on that. If I don't need to see Ivy, I won't have to!"

"How's DJ feeling about Ivy coming back?"

"He trusts my judgement and he knows it's for his stepmothers benefit!"

"That's good!"

"It is, he's so good to me and understanding!"

"Well, you deserve it Steffy! I couldn't be happier for you then I am that you let him sweep you of your feet!"

Steffy blushes and Thomas reaches out to give her a hug. "Now, I need to finish packing before leaving tomorrow!"

"I'll leave you to it then!" Steffy gives him one more hug. "I hope your trip is productive!"

"I have no doubt it will be!" Thomas laughs. "I mean, I'm only buying furniture for the store and my apartment! I'm also going to be talking to some people that wish to work for the store!"

"Good luck with that!" Steffy smiles. "Oh, Karen sent a message to you through Bill and me. She wanted you to know that she's proud of you!"

Thomas smiles big.

Then Steffy leaves, leaving Thomas to pick up his phone and texting DJ.

I'm done!

DJ walks through the door of the Forrester Mansion after Caroline let him in. "Hi! Is Ridge home?"

"He is! Let me go get him!" Caroline leaves DJ standing in the entry of the mansion and goes in search of her husband.

She finds him in the kitchen working on dinner, she walks over and gives him a kiss. "So, DJ is standing by the front door wanting to talk to you."

"Oh!" Ridge turns the stove off and walks through the door to the kitchen and sees DJ holding a little box. "Let me see it then!"

"Let you see what?" DJ is slightly nervous.

"Well, the ring would make sense considering the box in your hand."

So, DJ just throws the box over to Ridge and he opens it and shows his wife. "Yes! If she'll have you, you can marry her!"

"I haven't even asked you yet?"

"Yeah you did! Family barbeque."

DJ looks so confused.

"You need to go see Nick and Taylor!" Caroline interjects.

"I probably should, shouldn't I?"

"You should!"

I'm done!

Taylor could see it on his face the moment she opened the door. "I take it you've already asked her father?"

He nods his head.

"Let me see it then!" She says with sparkles in her eye.

He hands her the box and as she opens it, Nick walks out from the kitchen. "What's with the box?"

Taylor shows him the content of the box. "He's already asked Ridge, so, what should we say?"

The two look at each other for a few moments while having a silent conversation. "If she'll have you, you have our blessing!" Taylor smiles as she's talking.

I'm done!

One week later, there's a post on Hope Logans Instagram, with a picture taken on a tropical island at sunset with the sun shining from behind a couple kissing with the caption.

"Big brother asked my former stepsister to marry him. Guess what she said!" #proposal #loveisintheair #shesaidyes #sistersbymarriage #familyvacation

I'm done!

"So, am I supposed to be moving out now? I mean, that was the plan that you and Thomas had?"

"Nah, you should stay, we won't be getting married for at least two years. I'm done with the whole rushing to get married thing. He'll move in with us and you'll just stay right where you are!"

"I'm sorry what?" Christian interjects from his place on the couch in the living room.

"Oh, yeah, you weren't here when that was decided. When Thomas and I bought this house from Bill and Katie, we said that whoever gets married first would buy the others half and this would be the house they raise their family. Thomas is moving to Seattle soon and won't be living here, so Hope bought his half and now I'm engaged to Hopes half-brother, so I'd be the one to buy out Hopes half. But I don't see the reason for that at the moment so she'll stay here. If she still wants to stay?" Steffy turns with concern in her eyes towards her house mate.

"Of course, I want to stay, I just knew about the arrangement you made with Thomas and wondered if it still stood."

"Yeah, I threw that out the window when I said yes to your brothers proposal! I don't think he'd mind having you here!"

"Oh, that makes sense!"

"So, how's the week been at the office?"

"Oh, it's been good. LA isn't that much different to New York. I think the biggest difference is that the Spencer in charge is of opposite sexes. Otherwise the set up and pace you work with is the same. There really wasn't much to work out."

"That's good! I guess we'll be seeing more of you then?" Hope asks him with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure you will!" He smiles right back.

Hope clenches her fist and pumps it into the air. "Yes!"

Both Steffy and Christian laugh at her antics.

"So, Mr Morgan. It's your time to get the pizza today! Off you go!"

Christian picks up his phone and the keys to Steffys car. "Are Wyatt and DJ coming as well?"

"Wyatt is, DJ will probably come later tonight."

"I'll get pizza for all five of us then?"

"Yeah! You just go ahead with that!" Steffy giggles as he leaves. He closes the door and she turn to Hope. "So, you get it now?"

"Oh, trust me! I got it the moment he got here two weeks ago! I'm also catching a hint as to another reason you wanted Ivy to come to LA last week to start on Forrester Bridal."

"Really? What's that?" Steffy says with an air of mystery surrounding the words.

"Oh, like you never thought of Ivy and Christian as a couple?"

Steffy just wiggles her eyebrows and then chuckles a little.

"Oh my God you did!" Hope laughs out loud.

"Of course, I did, they'll be perfect for each other. He's the perfect mix of Thomas, Wyatt and Liam. He's got Thomass bad side, Wyatt's loyalty and Liams dreamy eyes. Plus, could you imagine how Liam will react when he finds out that his former wife is dating his other former wifes best friend?"

"Are you doing this to get even with Liam in any way?"

"Of course not! It's just that I helped break Liam and Ivy up and it sent Ivy on a downward spiral and I thought I'd help her get romance back in her life."

"Well, that makes sense."

"Liam getting pissed at me is just a bonus, but if he isn't, that's fine with me!"

The door opens and Wyatt walks through it.

"So, if I were to ask if someone was plotting to try to get my former girlfriend together with someones best friend, would I be warm or cold?"

"Scorching hot!" Both girls say at the same time and laugh at each other. Wyatt just nods his head a few times.

"That makes sense! Good job!"

"So, how are you feeling about Ivy coming back?"

"I got over that months ago. I have my love and hopefully she'll have hers soon as well! Besides, mom needs her at the shop, I'll just try to stay away as much as I can."

Wyatt sits down next to Hope and she leans into him. They stay like that until Christian comes back and pizza night begins.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **So, Steffy has gotten engaged, but we didn't get to see the proposal, what's up with that? DJ decided that it's to private to share, he has asked me to say that the wedding is to be shared though, although Steffy disagreed a little but she was talked into it by her fiancé!**

 **Also, I got to thinking about a thing that might be confusing. In regards to the house Steffy and Hope lives in. That house is the childhood home of Steffy, Phoebe and Thomas, if Hope were to marry Wyatt before Steffy marries DJ, Hope would not be buying Steffys share of the house and live there with Wyatt. That's not going to happen.**

 **I don't know if you've read my latest chapter of Things happen, but I'm taking a break from fanfiction for at least until after New Years, the reason for it can be read at the bottom of chapter 17 of Things happen.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

I'm done!

 **Chapter eighteen**

 _June 3_ _rd_ _2016_

 _LAX_

Ivy Forrester walked off the air plane and looked around to get her bearings once again, flying had never been a favorite of hers. It had been decided that she would live in one of the guesthouses on the Forrester property, but she still wasn't all that comfortable being back just yet. Her last stint in LA hadn't gone the way she'd hoped and if there was one thing she'd want to change, it was the way she'd handled the whole 'Aly vs. Maya and Steffy'-situation, specifically the Aly dying part of it all.

The thing that made her even consider coming to work for Quinn again was that Steffy had said they wouldn't need to talk to each other more then was absolutely needed and that Ivy would be co-operating with Thomas on his new subdivision of Forrester Creations and not have that much to do with Steffy at all. She knew both of them weren't ready to have a sit down and forgive and forget yet.

She walks over to baggage claim to get her three suit cases and then walks out to see where the person picking her up is. She walks through the door and looks up, sees a man holding a sign with her name on it and then walks over to him.

"Hi!" She puts on a smile. "I see you're waiting for me?"

"Yes, I am." The look in the man´s eyes isn't exactly welcoming. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am. So, why did Steffy send you to pick me up?"

"I'm not exactly sure, I mean, Hope said she'd do it, but then Steffy said that I should do it and that was that. So, has Steffy explained why you were to come back?"

"She has, Quinn is pregnant with twins and will need someone to take over during her maternity leave, Steffy claimed that I'm the best one to do so, so here I am!" Ivy looks down before they start walking out. "I'm only here because Quinn needs me, I'd still be in Sydney otherwise."

The man just nods his head. He leads her to his car and puts her luggage into the backseat. She opens the passenger side door and gets in. He walks over to the driver's side and gets in, puts his seat belt on and then backs out of the spot he parked in and about forty-five minutes later, he drops her off at the guest house that would be her home for the next months.

She removes the suitcases from the car and then watch as he drives off from the property. "Who was that guy, and how does he know Steffy?" She scratches her head and then takes her luggage with her inside and puts her stuff in the closet and the chest of drawers.

She then decides to go visit her uncle, as she comes to the front door of the Forrester Mansion, she knocks on the door and then is surprised when Caroline opens the door and Caroline opens it with surprise on her face.

"I'm sorry, I was going to visit my uncle."

"He doesn't live in this house any more, Ridge and I live here now. Eric moved into the guest house across the driveway." Caroline crosses her arms over her chest. "So, did you have a good flight?"

"Yeah, it was nice. How are you and Douglas doing?"

"Oh, we're doing good! He's growing as he should and I'm recovering the way I'm supposed to."

"That's good!"

"So, what now?"

"Well, I guess I'll say my good bye and then go visit my uncle?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

"I just have one question." Caroline looks up from closing the door. "Who was that man who came and picked me up from the airport?"

"A family-friend!" Caroline smiles and then closes the door.

Ivy turns around and then walks over the drive way and rings the doorbell of the guest house.

She rings the doorbell a few more times while waiting for five minutes and then she gives up and goes to the main house and rings that doorbell again.

Once again, Caroline opens the door.

"Hi! Again! Uncle Eric isn't opening, do you know where he is?"

"Well, I'd try at his place of business, I believe he was going to work today."

"I didn't think Uncle Eric worked any more since Rick ousted him last year?"

"Well, since Ridge and Steffy took over, there is a lot that has happened and Eric is back on the design team." A baby crying can be heard through the door. "Now, I need to go take care of my son, so if you'll excuse me."

"Yeah, do you by any chance have a car that I could borrow?"

"There's a car with your name on it by the guest house you're going to be staying at as per Steffy´s request."

"Oh." Confusion spreads over Ivy´s face.

"Yeah, oh!" Caroline looks at Ivy.

"Are you mad at me or something?"

"You picked up on that?"

"Kind of."

"Well, you know that my cousin has been served a restraining order against him by his former fiancé and my other cousin was heart-broken because of you and your decision to kiss your boyfriend´s brother who also happened to be your cousin´s boyfriend after you blackmailed her to get to the top of a company she owns."

"No, I didn't know that. I mean, the restraining order part, the kissing Liam and blackmailing Steffy I do know."

"Well now you do!" Ivy just nods her head.

"I'll just go then."

"I'll see you later then."

Ivy looks at Caroline as she closes the door once again and then she walks back to the guest house she's currently sleeping in and then finds the key to the car on the kitchen counter, she looks inside the fridge and freezer only to find them empty. "Looks like I'm going on a grocery run as well."

She writes a list and then walks out to the car to drive herself to Forrester Creations.

She parks the car and goes to find her uncle. She finds him sitting in the office he once had as CEO. She knocks on the door and sees him light up when he sees her.

"Hi Ivy!"

"Hi Uncle Eric!" Ivy smiles. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good! It was a little touch and go there for a while, but it's all back to where it should be now."

"That's great!"

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I thought I'd come see you before going to the grocery store. I doubt Steffy would like to see me, so I went to see the person most likely to be happy to see me."

"Yeah, some things can be hard to get over. The fact that she hasn't quite forgiven you yet tells me that it was a big thing you did to her. Steffy normally forgives really fast."

"Yeah, I messed up back then, but hopefully we'll be able to at least talk to each other without screaming at the other." Ivy was surprised that Eric didn't know why Steffy was so angry with her.

"It'll be okay in the end and you'll get the relationship you had back in the day back again." Eric smiles at his niece. "Just look at Steffy and Hope. They've both worked out their issues and now they're living together in the house that Ridge bought Steffy´s mother when he found out Thomas was his baby. Things will work out the way they're supposed to."

"I hope so, but as I said, I messed up royally."

"Just show her that you are aware of the mess you caused and that you're sorry for it."

"Yeah, hopefully me working with Quinn will help with that." A small smile graces Ivy's lips.

"Yeah, you might have your work cut out for you there. Steffy is engaged to Quinn´s stepson and Hope is currently dating Quinn´s son, so you'll spend a lot of time with people who love Steffy with all they've got, I don't know when that happened, but Steffy and Hope mending their relationship and Quinn´s pregnancy more than likely had something to do with that. Steffy becoming Hope´s sister in law probably has something to do with that as well."

Worry spreads over Ivy´s face. "What do you mean Steffy becoming Hope´s sister in law?"

"Don't you know that Steffy is engaged to Hope´s halfbrother DJ?" He sees Ivy shake her head. "Oh."

"I thought she and Liam were still engaged."

"No, that ended in January during his surprise trip to Australia. Steffy had enough of him putting other women ahead of her and so she dumped him."

"But she's engaged to another man six months later?"

"Yes, a man who has been in love with her since before he turned ten years old and managed to get her to let go of a lot of pain that had festered over the years Steffy was in love with Liam. She's much more secure in this relationship."

"Oh, so she broke Liam and I up only to dump him a year and a half later? Well, that's nice." Anger starts spreading in Ivy.

"Yeah, you just remember that you're the one who decided to date Liam´s brother and then cheat on him with Steffy´s brother and then later with Liam which is the reason he ended up on a plane to Australia."

Shame flows through her body. "Where's Liam now?"

"He's in New York. He was banished after behaving in a way that neither Steffy, Wyatt nor Bill could stand behind."

"Oh, so Steffy leaves him and he gets sent to New York?"

"Yes, and now he's got a restraining order placed on him because he can't let Steffy go."

This information became a little too much to handle and Ivy just nods her head.

"So, when are you going to visit Quinn then?"

"I was thinking I would get settled first and get rid of the jet lag and fill my fridge and freezer and then visit Quinn and get my instructions then."

"Sounds good! I'll let you get to it then!"

As she's about to leave, a man walks through the door. "Hey Eric!"

She looks him over and he looks up from the papers.

"Do you have a minute? I'm a little stuck and you are the one with the most design experience here!" He then notices that Ivy is still in Eric´s office. "Oh, hi! Welcome back to LA! I hope your flight went okay!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" She's a little snarky.

"No, I don't think you do, but I've known this family far longer then you've been alive." He snarks right back at her.

"And I still don't know who you are!"

DJ looks over at Eric. "Is she for real?"

"I would think so. Anyway, what was it you wanted help with?"

DJ hands over the design sheets. "They just don't feel right. Where am I going wrong?"

"Who are you designing for?"

"Macy. Next season´s Macy line."

"Well, she's never been the flowy dress kind of person, that's always been Darla or maybe Phoebe."

"Maybe that's why it doesn't make sense." DJ laughs a little. "I've been designing for the wrong person."

"It sure looks like it. Look at the designs with Phoebe or Darla in your mind instead."

DJ takes the design sheets back and looks at them and suddenly it all clicks. "Yeah, it makes sense now that I'm thinking about Darla. Got to change the heading on that one."

"Well, now that we've fixed the problem, how about you introduce yourself to my niece?"

"Okay! My name is Deacon Sharpe Jr."

Ivy steps back with surprise on her face.

"So, how are things going with the pregnancy?"

"It's going great! Quinn has finally gotten past the morning sickness faze and is now getting back to her old self." DJ smiles big. "You got here right on time! Had you gotten here a week ago, she wouldn't even have been able to get to work." He turns back towards Eric. "Both babies are growing as they should!"

"That's good!" Eric matches DJ´s smile. "Send her my love, will you?"

"Of course!"

I'm done!

 _Taylor´s house_

Taylor Hamilton was up in the attic looking through the boxes with clothes from her last pregnancy, because although she was just 13 weeks along, something had happened over night and she hadn't been prepared.

Nick looks through the door. "Hey! What are you doing?"

Taylor gets spooked and then she turns around. Nick´s face turns to a look of surprise. "Oh, okay! I get it!"

"I don't know how this happened!"

"Well, it is something that happens during pregnancy isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but not this early? And certainly not at thirteen weeks."

"Well, it is your fourth pregnancy, maybe that has something to do with it?" He sees her nod her head. "Do you want me to take those boxes down to our bedroom?"

"Could you?" She asks with a smile of gratitude on her face.

"Most definitely so!" Nick walks over and gives her a kiss before taking the two boxes with him down the stairs to put in Taylor´s bedroom.

Taylor comes walking down the stairs behind him and then she starts taking her clothes out of her chest of drawers and then opens the boxes and takes things out and put them in the drawers.

She finds the dress she was looking for and puts it on.

Nick sits down on the bed. "So, I wanted to know if you'd consider marrying me this weekend."

Taylor turns around from dumping the next stack of clothing in one of the drawers with surprise on her face.

"Really? Isn't this a little soon?"

"I don't think so, plus, we are having a baby!"

"That is true!" Taylor gives Nick a small smile and then she walks over and gives him a kiss. "Yeah, I'll marry you this weekend!"

Nick´s smile reaches his eyes and he gives her a kiss right back. "Thank you for taking me back!"

"Well, you are the only other man I have let into my heart completely other than Ridge and I'm glad I did!"

They look each other in the eyes and then lean their foreheads together.

"Me too!" Nick says before kissing her forehead. "So, how should we do this?"

"I'm done with the whole big wedding-thing, so could we maybe just go to the court house and get married there and then have a small celebration? We haven't celebrated Steffy and DJ´s engagement yet either!" Taylor starts playing with the buttons on his dress shirt nervously. "It also wouldn't give Brooke the idea of coming to take you away from me again!"

"Sounds good to me! But you have to know that Brooke doesn't stand a chance!"

"Oh, I do know that, but she doesn't and that's always a concern!"

"Do you want to go get married today? I mean, why drag it out?"

"We're going to need someone to come with us!"

"I think it would be a lot to ask Bridget to come with us. Do you think maybe Ridge and Caroline would like to come?"

"Let's ask them!"

Taylor sits down on the bed and reaches for the house phone, dials her former husband's home number and waits for someone to answer.

" _Hello!"_

"Hi Caroline! How are you doing?"

" _I had a visitor a little while ago that got me a little worked up, but I've calmed down since, I thank my son for waking up when he did."_

"Really? Who came by to visit?"

" _Who's coming back from Australia today?"_

"Oh, Ivy huh?"

" _Yeah, that's the one. How are you doing yourself?"_

"I'm great! Had to have a wardrobe change because apparently baby wanted more room to move!"

" _Oh, how cute!"_

"Yeah, but that's not why I called. Nick and I wondered if you and Ridge would like to follow Nick and I to the court house to act as our witnesses when we get married?"

" _I'm surprised you even had to ask? Have you talked to Ridge yet? He went into the office for a while today, apparently he had a meeting early this morning and decided to stay at work a little longer."_

"No, we haven't, we just decided a few minutes ago. So, you'll be there?"

" _Yes! You'll just need to call my husband and tell him!"_

"I'll do that right now!"

" _When are you planning on doing this?_ "

"Well, today actually."

" _Really?_ " She can hear the giddiness of her former husband's current wife.

"Yes, really!" Taylor laughs.

During their conversation, Taylor hasn't noticed that Nick walked out of the room.

"Ridge is on board!" He says as he comes back. "He just needs a time!"

Taylor turns her head towards her future husband. "Can you be ready when the clock strikes 4 pm so we can get there at 5 pm?" She asks Caroline.

" _Yes! I can be ready by then!_ "

"Good! Let Ridge know!" Taylor tells Nick.

Nick walks away to tell his brother the time.

I'm done!

 _Spencer Publications_

 _Bill Spencer´s office._

Someone knocks on the door to his office and he calls for them to come in. A man opens the door and then walks inside.

"Hi! How did it go getting Ivy to her place?"

"It went fine, she seems like she'll do right by Quinn. Very talkative though. I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk that much." Christian goes to take a seat across from his boss.

"Well, she's where she's supposed to be right now anyway." Bill looked towards his computer. "So, how are you feeling about being here in LA?"

"I haven't spent this much time with Steffy in a really long time and this is a very good place to work at! I really like it here. Only thing I have to complain about is the weather, way to sunny all the time!" Christian chuckles.

"Well, I can't do much about that! Anyway, the reason I ask is because Karen called a little while ago and asked if you were ready to go back to New York and I said I would ask you about it!" Bill looks up from the computer with a smile on his face.

"I kind of like it here, but I am ready to go back to New York if you believe I am."

"I believe you are, as we said before you got here it's pretty much the same on both coasts."

"I was not surprised that it's almost exactly the same, but getting into the routines over here was a good thing."

"That's great, do you want to call Karen yourself that you're coming back or shall I call her?"

"I'll call her myself."

"Great! Will you be coming back for Steffy and DJ´s wedding?"

"Absolutely! I've missed enough of her weddings."

"Good! Let me know if you want to come work here some more in the future!"

Christian smiles and nods. "I'll do that!"

I'm done!

At 6 PM that evening, a text message was sent out to the whole Forrester, Logan Spencer and Marone-clan that Nick and Taylor had gotten married.

Most were happy for the newly married couple, one woman however wasn't.

Brooke Logan was furious, because this was her time to be with Nick, so she went and picked up the keys to her car and got in it.

Or at least that's what she thought she was doing, what she really was doing was going to her sister's door, opening it and then walk right in and sits down in one of Katie´s arm chairs.

When Katie walks downstairs after reading the text message from Ridge and Caroline, she had a feeling Brooke would be lashing out. What she sees is something she wasn't entirely prepared for.

Her sister is sitting in her living room, making all the motions of driving a car somewhere. So, she walks over and 'knocks' on the passenger side window.

Brooke is frightened and looks over. She lowers the window.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business!"

"So, you're not on your way over to Nick and Taylor´s then?"

Brooke just shakes her head at her youngest sister´s question.

"Okay, so you're not angry about Nick and Taylor getting married then?" Katie can see the look in her sister´s eyes and she knows she's busted her sister´s plans.

"No, I am not angry about Nick and Taylor getting married!" Every tone in Brooke´s voice as she speaks tells Katie that Brooke is furious about it.

"Okay, so, how about you turn the car around and go back home then?"

Katie sees her sister 'leave her behind' and goes to make a call.

She leaves a message for her nieces and her nephews and then places her phone down.

I'm done!

 _June 5_ _th_ _2016_

 _Forrester Creations_

Thomas Forrester got out of his car and started the walk towards his father´´ s office. He knocked on the door and walked through when he was asked to come in.

Ridge looked up from the computer and a look of concern graced his face. "Hi! What's wrong?"

"Nothing´s really wrong, technically, but I'm moving in a few days and I'm getting a little worried, I'll snap out of it soon." Thomas looks at his father.

"Are you worried we won't be able to function without you? I'm pretty sure we'll do just fine! You just need to follow your dreams! We'll be here if it doesn't work out! But I have no doubt that you'll do just fine!" Ridge chuckles. "Don't worry! Your sister and I got this!"

"Yeah, I'm not worried about the company, I'm worried about Liam and his unwillingness to let Steffy go. I'm also worried about mom and the pregnancy and her wedding to Nick."

Ridge chuckles and Thomas looks at him with worry. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"Did you not get the text that was sent out two days ago?"

"What text?"

Ridge takes his phone out and finds the text he's looking for, before handing the phone over to his son!

"They've already gotten married?"

"Yeah, Taylor had a thought that the big white wedding just wasn't for her anymore and Nick agreed, so they went to the court house with Caroline and I and they got married, there's going to be a celebration on Saturday, I would've thought you'd have gotten an invitation?"

"Well, to be honest, I haven't checked my phone in a while because of me moving, I must have just missed it." Thomas sighed.

"How's that going by the way?"

"All of my furniture has arrived, I just need to find the time to put them together. All the boxes are in the right rooms."

"Why don't you take Steffy, DJ, Hope and Wyatt with you next week for a few days and they can help you with that?"

"Well, it would be nice to not have to put everything together by myself. I'll ask them!" Thomas says with a smile. "Are you sure you can manage without those four for a few days though?"

"Yeah, Steffy has finished everything for the next round for Memories already when it comes to boxes, colors and all that, Hope is two seasons ahead, Wyatt could be problematic, but should be able to take a few days off and DJ is already two thirds of the way done with the next round of Memories clothing." Ridge checks his computer. "Steffy is also ready with the Forrester Bridal-promotions, she just needs you to sign off on them!"

"Like I said, I'll ask them if they want to come."

"Good!" Ridge then looks like he remembered something. "Do you know about the restraining order Steffy and Hope put on Liam?"

"I do, Steffy told me the moment they got home!" Thomas smiles at his father.

"Good!"

"So, how are you feeling about mom and Nick having another kid?"

"I don't think I've ever been as happy for Taylor as I was when they told us that they were getting married and that she was pregnant again, up until now, Taylor has never spent the entire childhood of one of her kids with them and I feel like she should get to do that now and if Nick decides to leave her or she leaves him, I'll want to see her have complete custody of the child or Nick fighting like mad to keep her, in that order!"

"I hope it works out for them both, at least this time Brooke isn't able to create doubt and she doesn't have any way in to Nick´s heart like she did last time and from what I've seen, Jackie seems surer that mom is the one for Nick now then she was last time."

"Yeah, I should've seen it back then that they were working against Taylor being able to bond with Jack because of the things they said about your mother and that dinner party where Taylor had organized for Brooke and I to get married should have been a giveaway that Brooke wasn't really committed to me nor willing to let Nick go." Ridge sighs. "I just couldn't see it because I was so happy that we were finally getting married and mom didn't have anything against it. I don't know, whenever I was with Brooke, everything else got clouded and I treated the people in my family really badly, you and your sister included."

"Well, you see more clearly, now right? Because even though there's been some arguments between us, it seems like you're more focused on your whole family even though you and Caroline just had a baby a few months ago."

"Being with Caroline is so much better then Brooke, there's no chance of Caroline leaving me if I make a decision she doesn't agree with, unlike with Brooke where I felt like I had to do her bidding no matter the consequences for my family or my kids. Caroline and I just agree to disagree and that's that. It's a much better relationship."

"I agree, I was angry in the beginning, but I see now that the two of you work really well together. It's nice to see you happy again, you also seem much less stressed since you and Caroline got together!"

"Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you are content and secure in your relationship."

"Yes! Steffy is a sure sign that that statement is true! I don't think she's ever been so relaxed or secure in the love they share. You could see the difference in her the moment she came home from their first date."

"Ah, yes, the one I forced on her. That was a good decision on my part!" Ridge smiles big.

"It was! It was a good thing to push her to do. I think it made her see that life with Liam isn't everything that she thought it would be and that something better was right around the corner!" Thomas took a deep breath. "I also think it helped her resist Liam when he did come back."

"It did, DJ has been nothing but good for Steffy and I'm happy I banned her from work that weekend!"

"Good work! Although we should probably not try to force her to do something like that again." Thomas starts rubbing his hands together. "I mean, we both know what it's like to have the people around you manipulate you into doing things."

"I can agree to that, hey, do you think maybe we could send your mother and uncle Nick off on a honeymoon as a surprise?"

"Combine it into a babymoon and we have a deal!"

Ridge frowns. "Babymoon?"

"Yeah? A small vacation before the baby comes. I mean, Jackie and Owen could take care of Jack for a few days, I also don't doubt that Bridget could care for both boys for a little while."

"Yeah, let's plan something like that!" Ridge picks up a pen and writes down some pointers that he'll need to search for when booking the trip.

"Great! I'll go speak to Steffy about next week. Is there anything you need me to tell her?" Thomas gets up from the chair and starts walking to the door.

"No, I think we've got it all covered."

"Good! I'll see you later!" Thomas says as he's leaving his father´s office.

I'm done!

Jackie and Owen Knight come walking through the door of their apartment and Jackie dumps her purse on the floor and sprawls herself over the couch.

"Well, that was a productive trip." She picks up a magazine and starts fanning herself. "But why does it have to be so hot everywhere?"

"Well, it is June, start of summer, can't expect it to be cold at this time of year! Don't worry, it'll be cooler again in a few months!"

"I was starting to wonder if moving back to LA really was such a good idea."

"Well, being closer to Nick and Jack was your priority and being closer to Logan was mine. But maybe the weather is causing you too much trouble?"

A phone starts ringing. Owen starts searching for it.

"Owen Knight!" He answers.

" _Hi Owen! How was the trip?_ " He hears Ridge´s voice on the other side.

"It was really good, being back is good as well, but it seems it's just too hot for the wifey." Owen chuckles.

" _Well, I was wondering if maybe you and Jackie could take Jack for a few days for a surprise Thomas and I are planning for Taylor and Nick? Bridget is an option, but my thoughts were that Grandma Jackie might want to care for her grandson for a few days._ "

"Wait a few seconds and I'll put you on speaker and you can ask her yourself."

"Hello?" Jackie frowns.

" _Hi Jackie! Thomas and I are planning a little get away for his mother and your son, so I was wondering if Grandma Jackie might wanna have some Jack-time over a few days pretty soon?_ "

"Oh, hi Ridge! Grandma Jackie would love some Jack-time for a few days. Can I ask what this little get away is about?"

" _Good! Do you have any specific dates that you'd be most comfortable with?_ " They can hear some keys being pressed on a keyboard. " _Of course, you may! Thomas and I were planning on sending them on a combined babymoon/honeymoon!_ "

"Oh! That sounds like a wonderful idea! No, we've got everything pretty much covered!" Jackie looks over at Owen for confirmation. "Has Thomas left for Seattle yet?"

" _No, he's leaving this afternoon to put his furniture together, but he'll be back on Friday and stays over the weekend. Now, we're planning on surprising Nick and Taylor during the party on Saturday, so if you could keep this to yourselves for the time being, I'd appreciate it!_ "

"Of course! Secret's safe with us!"

" _Thank you! I'm going to make the reservations and things before going home in a little bit! I'll see you both on Saturday!_ " Ridge sounds grateful over the phone.

"Absolutely!" Jackie says with glee. "Hey, maybe we should take both boys and let CJ and Bridget go on a little trip as well?" Jackie looks over at her husband.

"Sounds good to me! Send the payment information to my e-mail for Bridget and CJ´s trip and we'll take care of that!"

" _Great!_ " The smile on Ridge´s face translates into his words. " _Thank you for helping out!_ "

Jackie laughs a little. "Well, it's my grandson and my stepson. Of course, we'd help!"

" _Naturally! But I had to ask!_ "

"Of course, you never know what plans people have."

" _Anyway, I need to get home to my wife and baby, but I'll see you on Saturday and I'll put down your e-mail for Bridget and CJ´s trip!_ "

"Yeah! We'll see you on Saturday!"

Then they say good bye and hang up the phone.

"Well, I didn't think I'd see Ridge Forrester happily send his brother off on a honeymoon with his own ex-wife." Jackie says.

"One question though." Owen has Jackie´s full attention. "Why would he send his brother and ex-wife off on a honeymoon if they're not married yet?"

"Maybe they're getting married on Saturday?" Jackie wonders.

"Well, I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah!" Jackie yawns. "Should we take a little nap? I'm tired!"

Owen tilts his head and then nods.

I'm done!

Steffy was working through a pile of papers when someone knocked on her door. "Come in!"

Seeing her brother´s head peek through the door, calms her down as she's worried that Ivy might come and talk to her at any point in time.

"Hey! What's going on?" Steffy says with a big smile.

"Well, I just talked to dad and I have permission to kidnap you, your boyfriend, Hope and Wyatt to put together my furniture!"

"Oh, yeah, sure, it might be good to get away for a little bit." Steffy says calming down even more.

"I'll just send out a text to the other three to meet us at the house later today. Dad is on his way home at the moment, but he said you've gotten far enough with next seasons lines that you could take a few days off."

"Okay, yeah, we'll come with you! I mean, we have just been on a vacation a few weeks back, but if dad says it's okay, I really can't argue with that! Anyway, we'll be back before the party on Saturday, right?"

"Of course!" Thomas nods his head.

"Good! You talk to the other three and we'll get going as soon as everyone is packed and ready!"

I'm done!

Donna Logan had made it to Katie´s house and she had managed to not draw so much attention to her, she really didn't want to see Brooke today. She sends a text to Katie´s phone to let her know she's there and then waits for Katie to answer the door. The smile she has on her face when Katie opens the door disappears once she sees the look on Katie´s face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Come into the kitchen." Katie sighs and Donna follows Katie to the other side of the house.

The two sit down and Katie hands over a few pamphlets with information on a few homes where they could possibly have Brooke placed.

"So, she's gotten worse, has she?" Katie just nods her head.

"I won't be able to handle her much longer, it's getting out of control. When she found out that Nick and Taylor had gotten married, she actually came into my house, sat down in a chair and 'drove' to their house. There have been other situations as well, but it's getting out of my hands. I'd rather not have her causing accidents or something worse if we can have her in a safe place where people with the right skills work with people like her for a living. Hope, Rick, RJ and Bridget have already put their thoughts in regarding which home they think she'd do the best in. Dad is currently checking out their websites as we speak and he'll call in a little bit to let me know what he thinks. That leaves only you and what you think. There has been a slight lean towards one of them. But you just look at them and tell me what you think!" Katie gets up from the table and starts puttering about making lunch.

Donna stays in the chair and reads through the information, she discards three of the five within the first ten minutes. Twenty minutes later, she has decided between the two and lunch is ready.

Katie walks over and places a plate of pasta in front of her sister. "So, have you decided?"

"I have." She says as she hands over the one she had chosen.

"Yeah, the others have chosen this one too, I'm going to call them to ask if we can take a look at the place sometime soon. Would you like to come with?"

Donna places a piece of tomato in her mouth and nods her head. "Yes, I'd like to come with. I want to see where my sister will be spending the rest of her days."

Katie´s phone starts ringing and seeing that it's her father calling she answers and her father tells her the same as her sister´s children and Donna did before she tells him that she'll let him know when she had found a time to visit the home. They say good bye and Katie sits down with a sigh.

"It's okay to feel overwhelmed and that you can't cope with the situation, you don't have to feel bad just because you couldn't take care of her like you wanted."

"I just don't like to admit defeat."

"I know, but sometimes it's for the best." Donna reaches over and takes a hold of Katie´s hand. "In this case it is for the best. Brooke wouldn't want you to hurt yourself while caring for her."

"I know, but I just feel like I failed her."

"Failing her would mean that you keep taking care of her to your own detriment, you're doing the best thing for her right now and I bet that if you were to ask Rick, Bridget, Hope or dad, they'd say the same."

"I was talking to Taylor a little while ago and she said the same thing." Katie sighs once again. "That Brooke needs more then I can give her and by moving her to this home, I'm doing what's best for her."

"Well, there you go, Taylor probably has the best opinion of all of us since she's worked with people who have done exactly what you're doing right now. If you won't trust anyone of us, trust her!" Donna smiles as Katie nods her head. "You're doing the right thing!"

"I guess so."

"So, how are you feeling about Nick and Taylor getting married again?" Donna lets go of Katie´s hand and leans back in the chair having finished her lunch.

"You can just see in their eyes that they want to be with each other, the way he just lights up whenever she walks into a room is something that I want for myself. Not with Nick, but with someone."

"Yeah.. Me too." Donna has a small smile on her lips.

"What about Eric?"

"I'll always have a soft spot for Eric, but that's over and has been over for years."

"Yeah. I'm thinking we both need new men." Katie leans back against the chair again. "Men without the last name Forrester, Marone, Spencer or Sharpe."

"Yes, I agree with that!" Donna chuckles. "So, are you going to the celebration on Saturday?"

"I didn't plan on it, I feel like this is for their closest family. I know that Caroline and Ridge are going, DJ and Steffy, Wyatt and Hope, Thomas and Deacon and Quinn are also going. Jackie and Owen are more than likely going. But I think I might just be a little too out of the family to go. I believe they are also celebrating Steffy and DJ´s engagement as well and that's why Hope and Wyatt as well as Deacon and Quinn are going."

"Isn't it funny how things worked out? Hope is with the guy she married to punish Liam with and Steffy ends up with Hope´s other half-brother?" Donna giggles a little at the end of the last question.

"You know how we were so sure that Liam was supposed to be with Hope?" Katie asks and sees her sister nodding. "Yeah, after a while that didn't make sense and when that video came out of Steffy and Liam kissing on that bed in Italy, I started seeing things differently. But both Brooke and Hope were so sure that Liam was supposed to be with Hope that it was just easier to join them than be on their bad side. I had a conversation with Brooke early on back then and she just started screaming at me that I didn't make any sense because Liam and Hope are 'destined to be together'. I mean, how 'destined' can you be if you can walk away from the relationship that easily?"

"Yeah, if all Steffy or Wyatt had to do was present themselves as a better option for Liam and Hope to stray, it couldn't have been that good of a relationship in the first place."

"A relationship that starts on the rubble of someone´s previous relationship can't be that secure and Hope´s relationship with Oliver ended with huge trust issues for Hope."

"Yeah, she moved on way to fast. I am glad though that she's secure in her relationship this go around. Those years in Milan sure had a positive outcome for her."

Katie smiles. "Yeah, it's a shame Brooke won't be able to see the change in her daughter. Do you know that Hope has only come to see her mother twice since she came back? I'm guessing it's because that last time Brooke had a few not so nice words to share with Hope, sure, they weren't about Hope in the first place, but Hope decided that she doesn't need that in her life."

"So, she's really that bad?" Katie nods her head at her sister´s question. "Well, maybe it really is time for you to let her go then."

Katie looks out the window and sees a car approaching. "I wonder who that is?"

Donna also looks out and sees the same car. "I have a feeling I know. This woman has a sixth sense about her when it comes to the Logan´s."

The two share a look and it turns out that Donna is right. The two sisters get up from the table and goes to open the door, when they get there, they see that the door on the driver´s side is open and two feet are peeking through.

"Oh, my goodness, I really should've thought this through." The woman ends the sentence with a curse word, causing Donna and Katie to start to chuckle.

"Well, I don't think I've ever heard you swear because you can't get out of the car, Taylor!" Donna walks over. "Do you need some help?"

"I mean, you're not that far along that you should be having trouble with the car yet." As Katie is saying this, Donna has reached the car to help Taylor get out and what she sees has her baffled.

"Yeah, I'd agree with you Katie, but this baby has other plans! I mean, I am less than 14 weeks along, so this should not be happening, but baby disagrees."

Donna grabs Taylor´s hands and helps hold her steady as Taylor pulls herself out of the car.

When she's standing up right outside of the car, she turns to face Katie. "So, a little birdy told me that someone is having a little trouble with letting go."

Katie turns to Donna with surprise on her face and Taylor laughs. "Yeah, no, not Donna. But let's not think about that anymore. Let's go inside and you can tell me what's bothering you."

Taylor turns again towards the car and takes out her purse and then backs away while closing the door and that's when Katie sees it.

"Are you sure there's only one in there?"

"The pregnancy feels more like the ones I had with Thomas and Jack, but there's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that's telling me that there's something else going on here." Taylor smiles. "We're going to another ultrasound next week to make sure."

"Let's go inside." Katie beckons Donna and Taylor to come inside, through the window you can see two of the three women taking a seat at the kitchen table while the third one makes two cups of coffee and a pitcher of iced tea before bringing it all over to the table. Less than a minute later, Katie is already in tears while Taylor and Donna each hold one hand.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **I got to that point again where it's getting too long to continue in one chapter, but please come back for the next one!**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN:**

 **I don't own a thing!**

 **Also, I can't believe I've gotten to chapter nineteen of this story.**

I'm done!

 **Chapter nineteen**

 _June 10_ _th_

 _Marone Mansion_

Bridget walks down the stairs with the last load of her belongings, takes one last look around the house and then calls for her son to come down with his suitcase of clothes that they had left behind while renovating the house she had bought a month ago, it was finally done and it was time to leave their current home.

She can hear Logan start walking down the stairs and sees him coming down with a big smile on his face. "Is it time to leave now?"

He looks up at her with wonder in his eyes and she smiles at him.

"It is, but we'll be back tonight to help uncle Nick and aunt Taylor cook for tomorrow. It's gonna be a sleep over!" She chuckles when she sees how his eyes light up.

"Is CJ gonna be living with us too?"

"Not right now, maybe in the future though!"

"Can Jack come over for sleep overs?"

Bridget smiles and nods.

"Awesome!"

"Should we go then?"

Logan nods his head furiously. "I wanna go see my room! Maybe jump on the bed!"

"Logan." Bridget says with a stern look on her face.

"But mommy!"

"Okay, just this one time and I will be watching!"

He smiles big before leaving the house to get to the car. Bridget sends off a text to Nick letting him know that they're on their way to the new house and then she's off as well.

The two reach their new house and get to working on putting all of their stuff where it needs to be in the kitchen, having decided to focus on that for the day. School had been out for the week and Logan had been hassling her to get moving because, although he loved Jack, he was getting tired of having to share a room. He had come to understand that small doses of your friends was probably the best way to go.

Three hours later, they drive back to the house they shared when they came back to LA and started helping out with peeling carrots, potatoes, apples, oranges and cutting up salad, making cold sauces, preparing the pots and pans, marinating the meat, mushrooms and cooking the pasta so that it could get cozy with the rest of the ingredients for the pasta salad, they also made the dough for the bread and put it in the fridge to rise over night.

At 9:30 PM, both boys are sent to bed and the three adults sit down in the living room.

"So, how are you feeling about all of this?"

"Well, we knew it would happen at some stage so we've been preparing. We'll be moving Jack back into his room and us into the master bedroom next week." Nick says. "But tomorrow should be fun!"

He and Taylor look at each other with smiles in their eyes.

"I haven't asked how it went when you talked to Katie on Sunday." Bridget pulls her legs up as she's talking.

"Well, it's a good thing you said something because Katie was definitely freaking out, I was only there for maybe ten minutes before she broke down. Donna and I got her out of it though and she understands now that the best thing for Brooke is to get her the care she needs and Katie can't give her that, that it's not a bad thing and that it doesn't make Katie a bad person. Katie admitting defeat and letting go actually makes her a good person."

"We've been trying to get her to see that for about a month now, so thank you for getting through to her!"

"Thank you for letting me know she was having trouble. I do have to tell you though, getting out of the car that day was really hard. Donna had to come help me. They actually laughed at me because I used a curse word."

Both Bridget and Nick start laughing. "Yeah, it must have been a sound to hear that."

"More than likely!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, everything over there is going well, all that's left now is for you guys to go visit the facility. I believe everyone of you chose the same one so Katie's getting in touch with them to find a time."

"Yeah, she called me yesterday, we're going to visit on Thursday and then hopefully mom will be admitted on Friday, which has me asking if you could get Logan from school both those days!"

"Absolutely, should we keep him here over night?"

"If it's not a problem then yes please." Bridget sends both Taylor and Nick a grateful smile.

"Of course not, we love having him here and Jack loves it too!" Nick smiles back.

"Now, momma´s getting tired. It's time for bed!" Taylor announces and the three walks to their bedrooms and fall asleep instantly.

I'm done!

 _Three hours earlier._

 _Steffy and Hope´s house_

She pulls the key out of the door lock and opens the door. After coming inside the house, she walks straight over to the couch and just throws herself on it. Behind her, her big brother walks through the door followed by Steffy, Thomas and her boyfriend.

"Well, it's a good thing that's over with for now!" Thomas just laughs at her.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad!" Steffy pushes her legs off the couch to sit down next to her.

"I actually liked going to Seattle, it was nice with a scenery change." Wyatt says as he walks away to find his way to their kitchen.

Hope smiles. "Yeah, it was nice, but hopefully I won't be doing that again soon."

"So, who's excited for tomorrow?" DJ asks.

"I am!" All three of the other occupants of the room says as Wyatt walks back into the living room.

"So, there's nothing in the fridge and anything in the freezer will take too long to cook. So, pizza?" Wyatt says as he walks over to the couch and makes his girlfriend sit up so they can cuddle.

Four pairs of eyes migrate to Thomas, who grunts and then gets out of the arm chair he's been sitting on before leaving the house.

"You raised him well, Steffy!" Hope smirks.

"That I did!" Steffy smiles big.

"I'm tired." DJ says with a yawn.

"Well, you're in great company big brother, I don't think any of us here aren't tired." Hope makes her point by yawning as well.

"Well, I need to do some laundry, do you have anything you need washed, Hope?" Steffy starts getting ready to get off the couch.

"Just what's in my suit case, but that can wait, I know you want to wash sheets and stuff before going to bed, so you just get your washing done and I'll do mine a little later."

Steffy nods her head and takes a trip up to her bedroom and gets the sheets off the bed before going downstairs by the kitchen and puts everything in the washing machine, then she walks upstairs again and puts new bedding on the bed before going down and meeting her brother as he comes back through the door with a pile of pizza boxes in his hand.

The pizzas disappear pretty quickly and after a while Steffy walks to the laundry closet and pulls out the sheets to put in the dryer and sends them through a cycle. An hour later the sheets are dry and ready to be put away.

Since Steffy has fallen asleep, DJ takes it upon himself to fold them up and put them away.

He then walks down stairs to where Thomas and Wyatt are talking.

"So, what are you two talking about?" He swipes at Thomas to get his feet off the table in front of the couch.

"The fact that we still haven't heard anything about what Liam thinks about you marrying Steffy. Not a single word." Wyatt says while watching Thomas closely.

"Yeah, no, there's been some communication." DJ says with hesitation.

"What do you mean?"

He picks up his phone from the table and searches through his phone to find what he's looking for. He finds it and then turns it over to Wyatt. Wyatt reads what it says and then he looks up with a shocked look on his face, then he starts laughing. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, I know this is serious, but he's using so many profanities that I don't know how else to handle this." Wyatt says before handing it over to Thomas for him to read as well.

Thomas reads a little bit and then just bursts out laughing. "Does he really think you're just going to walk away because he said so?" Thomas looks up from the phone in his hand to see DJ nod his head. "That boy's just stupid. No offense." He says looking towards Wyatt.

"None taken." Wyatt waves him off before turning back to DJ. "Does Hope or Steffy know?"

"I haven't told them and since he's not allowed to speak to them, I'm thinking he's not told them either. I have told your father though and he is not happy with his son."

The other two chuckle. "So, Thomas, have you started thinking about Steffy´s dress yet?" DJ smiles over at his future brother in law.

"Oh, trust me, there's only one Forrester who will be designing Steffy´s wedding dress and it's not me." Thomas sends a knowing look over at Wyatt, who just looks confused.

"But you're the one setting up a bridal boutique?"

"I am, but do you really think Steffy would allow anyone other then herself to design the most important dress in her life?"

"Nah, she wouldn't."

"Let's just say that she tried the little boutique in Aspen and granddad. Didn't work out well either of the times so now she's going to design it herself so she'll get it right." Thomas leans back, "Anyway, are you going to tell them about Liam?"

"I know I should tell them and I'm going to, I just don't know how."

"I think ripping the band aid is probably the best course of action in this case." Thomas leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Yeah, it probably is." He sighs. "I'm going to tell them tomorrow."

"Anyway, I'm tired so I'm going to head off to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Thomas leaps up and walks out the patio doors to go to the guesthouse.

Wyatt looks over at his stepbrother. "Maybe you should wait until after the party? It would put a huge damper on it if you tell them before."

"Yeah, you're probably right, I'll tell them on Sunday."

The two of them say good night and then walk to their respective bedrooms. DJ walks to the bed and lay down against Steffy´s back, to which she just melts into him and lets out a breath.

I'm done!

 _Marone Mansion_

They're just about to sit down to eat when Taylor gathers their attention.

"So, most of you know what happened a week or so ago, but there are some people we haven't told yet because they were on a business trip and I would like to tell them right now." Taylor turns to Jackie and Owen who have confused looks on their faces. "So, mother in law and Stepfather in law, I hope you'll accept me into your family as I married your son/stepson last Saturday!"

Both Jackie and Owen´s jaws drop and the rest of the people around the table just laugh at their reactions.

"Really? You're already married?"

"Yes, we are." Nick says with a smile before looking at his wife. "It also seems that Bridget has a problem with counting her numbers."

He goes to the chest of drawers that stands beside the front door and picks up a set of ultra sound pictures. Taylor smiles. "So, we have not told any of you this yet, but we went to an extra appointment because this.." Taylor turns so everyone can see the bump before turning back. ".. is not supposed to happen at 13 weeks. But guess what?"

Nick hands the set of ultrasound pictures to DJ. Steffy looks at it as well. "One.." He points on one side of the first picture. " ..two…" He points towards another side. "…three." A third place gathers his attention.

"Yeah, when the ultrasound technician counted six arms, we got a little bit confused."

"So, you're having triplets?" Quinn asks.

"Yes, so your twins will have many friends to play with!" Taylor smiles.

"You just can't help yourself and just have to be the worst at everything!" Caroline starts laughing at the end of what she said. "But at least you got married before the kids came!"

"Yeah, and this time there's no egg mix up, so there's no reason to sue the hospital." Taylor looks so serious, then Bridget starts laughing and Taylor can't keep a straight face anymore. Within a few seconds, the whole room is laughing.

Ridge taps his glass to gain the attention of the people present. "So, when Thomas came to see me on Monday, he came up with an idea after finding out that Nick and Taylor had married again. So, as the wedding gift from most of us, we'd like to send you off on a little trip for about a week. Or maybe two. It's sort of a combined babymoon/honeymoon. Babysitters have already been arranged. Jack will be spending time with grandma and Owen."

"Oh, don't forget Logan! We're spending time with him as well!" Jackie looks over at Bridget and CJ. "You two are going on a trip as well, I really hope you enjoy it!"

CJ and Bridget look to each other and their jaws drop.

"And now, let´s hear a big congratulations to the happily newly engaged couple!"

Everyone gives a resounding congratulations to Steffy and DJ. The two just look into each other's eyes and Hope takes a picture where you can see just how much they love each other, then she does what every young woman in the day of social media does. She posts it on Instagram. _Steffy just found out she's becoming a big sister times three and there were congratulations all around on her engagement to my brother! #bigsisagain #theeyessayit #loveisoverflowing #secsafterthisakisshappened #she'ssohappy!_

Steffy sees the post and points towards Hope. "You need to count again I think!" She then winks and hopes that Hope catches her drift.

Hope looks over at Quinn and then back towards Steffy to see her nod. "Right, I'm on that!"

 _ETA:_

 _Times five, not three! #littlesisisforgetful_

Steffy sees the correction and laughs out loud.

I'm done!

 _One week later._

 _Steffy and Hope´s house._

DJ is pacing the floor in front of the fireplace in the living room in his fiancé´s house. His plan to tell them about Liam warning him off the day after the celebration of their engagement and Steffy´s mother´s marriage and coming children hadn't worked out, but last night he got a text that meant he just couldn't push the problem away anymore.

He's currently working up the courage to talk to both his sister and his fiancé, as they are currently out on a grocery run.

When the door opens, he nearly jumps out of his skin.

"Hey, it's just me." Wyatt says from the door. "I thought you'd need some help today."

DJ lets out a deep breath. "Oh, thank you." He gives his stepbrother a small smile. "I can't believe I let it go this far. I should've told them way before this."

"Well, better late than never, besides, the longer you wait, the more evidence you have against him if you need them."

"Yeah, I just wish I didn't need to collect it."

When the door handle on the front door turns the two men turn their heads towards it and as Steffy walks through the door with the first two of many bags, she can see that there's something going on. "What has he done now?"

DJ and Wyatt turn to look at each other before turning back towards Steffy and newly arrived Hope. "Who?" Wyatt scratches his head.

"What has Liam done now?" Hope asks before sighing.

"Why would you think that Liam has done something again?"

Steffy and Hope turn towards each other. "Well, the look on your face for one thing."

"And, we all knew he wouldn't be giving up that easily. Steffy could probably stand at the altar in her wedding dress saying her vows and he'd still have hope she'd come back to him." Hope takes her load into the kitchen and then goes to get another one as Steffy does the same and the guys walk out to the car to get a load as well.

Twenty minutes later, everything in the car had been taken inside and out where it's supposed to be and Steffy had taken up residence on the couch with Hope sitting next to her. DJ is sitting on the coffee table in front of Steffy, holding her hand.

He turns his head towards Wyatt who's sitting in the armchair next to the fireplace searching for support.

"So, how long has be been sending you messages?" Steffy asks.

"He started sending them right after the restraining order was put in place and then it just escaladed after Hope posted that picture about our engagement. I have screen shots of all of them and when I tried to find out how many I have, it counted out 94 of them and that is just within the last three weeks."

Steffy just shakes her head. "If only he would've fought this hard back when Ivy was hitting on him and cheating on Wyatt. Or if he only would've fought this hard back when I was hitting on him while he was with Hope. Oh, how I wish you would've come here before all of this mess started." She looks at him with so much love in her eyes.

Hope looks over at Wyatt. "So, lets start planning this wedding then?"

Steffy, DJ and Wyatt turn to look at Hope with confusion in their eyes. "I know you wanted a longer engagement, but I just don't see a reason for you to not start planning. I'm guessing you've already got the dress made up in your head?" She turns her attention towards her future sister in law and sees her nod. "So why not just start on everything else?"

Steffy and DJ turns towards each other. DJ shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not opposed to that!" The smile that appears on Steffy´s face tells the other three people in the room that they're planning a wedding over the next few weeks.

I'm done!

 _New York, July 1st_

 _Spencer Publications_

 _Karen Spencer´s office_

Christian knocks on the door to his boss' office, he can hear her calling out for him to come in, so he does.

Karen looks up from her computer as he walks through the door.

"So, I guess you've heard?" Christian nods his head.

"Steffy called me yesterday, they're practically done with all of the planning and August 6th is the latest date they've been thinking of. Ivy is working on the rings, they've asked Ridge and Deacon to officiate and I've been asked to be Man of Honor, Wyatt is Best man and Hope is a bridesmaid, Thomas is also standing up for them. Invitations have been sent out and her wedding dress has traveled to Seattle to live with Thomas until the wedding. Only things left right now is flowers, food and music. Although the flowers really should wait until just days before the ceremony."

"I don't think I've ever seen Steffy as excited for a wedding before." Karen says with a smile. "So, when are you flying out to LA?"

"Actually, I need to leave today. I've been roped into helping with both the bachelor and bachelorette parties."

"Well I hope you'll have fun and I'll see you in August." Karen winks her eyes at him.

I'm done!

 _August 6_ _th_ _2016_

 _The same chapel Nick and Taylor got married in the first time._

Liam runs inside the chapel screaming from the top of his lungs for them to stop the ceremony, stops dead in his tracks when he realizes that there's nobody there except the priest.

"You know, shouting in the Lords house is not looked upon with glee. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to break up the Forrester/Sharpe wedding, where are they?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, that ceremony was three days ago. A really beautiful ceremony might I add."

I'm done!

August 3rd

Steffy and DJ´s wedding

 _Jackie Knight was sitting in the fourth row in the small chapel with her husband to her left, her stepson to his left and his mother to his left. Eric Forrester was sitting in front of her, Kristen, Felicia and Thorne sitting beside him to his left. Jack Hamilton and Zach Hamilton sitting in the second row, Zach having gotten an invitation based on the fact that Steffy wanted him there. All three of Zach´s kids had also come to watch the ceremony, but only Jack would come to the reception._

 _In the first row sat Nick and Taylor as well as Ridge and Caroline. On the other side sat Quinn, Deacon, Bill, Karen and Amber. In the row behind them sat Deacon´s mother, Amber´s mother and some of DJ´s friends from college._

 _All of the people gathered rises up as an instrumental version of Bon Jovi´s 'Thank you for loving me' started playing and they turn to watch Hope Logan walk down the aisle in an empire cut deep purple dress with a flowy skirt and a sweetheart neckline, after her follows Christian in a dark grey suit that matches the groom and groomsmen's suits perfectly with a vest and tie in the same color as Hope´s dress. The music stops and the doors open to reveal Steffy in an off-white strapless dress with a dark purple border lining the top of the dress with gold embroidery. Their eyes connect and after that, she doesn't even remember the walk up to the altar. As she's walking from the first pew up to the altar, everyone that has gathered in the pews see the back of the dress. The border continues down the back of the dress parting ways revealing the same dark purple fabric that Hope´s dress, the ties and vest of the groom and groomsmen´s as well as the Man of Honor´s is made of. All of a sudden, the priest begins the ceremony with the words:_

" _You may now be seated. We are gathered here today to join these two in marriage, they've asked that they'd be allowed to share their own vows and they will now do so. Stephanie?"_

 _Steffy turns to look at the priest before nodding and turning back to look at her future husband._

" _It has been twenty-two years since you first knew that I was the one you would marry, I can't say the same as there has been men in between that I have been sure I would marry, one I did marry, multiple times. But I know now that he was only a stepping stone and a chance for me to grow into the woman that would love you for the man that you are, a woman worthy of being loved for twenty-two years of by the same man and being able to give him that same level of love for the rest of our lives. Every day I promise I will love you just a little bit more, I will hold you up when you're down and I promise to keep my distance while you're in one of your 'Ineedtodesignrightnow,Idon'thavetimeforyourightnow'-mindsets. I promise I will love you even if I don't like you much during those times. I vow to be the best wife, partner and mother I can be and I want to say thank you for loving me!" Steffy looks into his eyes as tears starts running down her cheeks. "I promise to let you know when something is getting on my nerves, find inventive ways of letting you know I love you and I promise to go to counseling if we need it. This is my vow to you!"_

" _DJ."_

" _It has been twenty-two years since I first knew I would marry you, but I also can't say that there hasn't been women that I have dated in between, but coming back to LA when I did was just further confirmation that you are the one woman for me and therefore I promise that I will love you with all of my heart even if I don't like you very much, I will take the time during one of my, what did you say,.." Steffy repeats what she said with a chuckle. "Yeah, during one of those moments, to spend time with you and not be as testy as I know I can be. I also promise to love you just a little bit more than the day before. I promise to find ways to help you get through the hard times, join you in the good times and laugh about the hard times later. I promise to always let you know when things aren't going my way and let you help me get back on track. I promise to share diaper duties, being up with our children during the nights. I promise to let you have days when nothing disturbs you giving you me-time. These are my promises and vows to you and our future family!"_

" _So, I'm just going to ask this. Who gives this man to marry this woman?" The priest asks._

" _His father, I and his mother does." Quinn says._

 _The priest nods. "Who gives this woman to marry this man?"_

" _Her father, her mother, her stepfather and I do!" Caroline says with pride in her voice._

" _Well then. Stephanie Forrester," The priest looks towards the bride. "Do you take this man, Deacon Eric Sharpe, to be your lawfully married husband?"_

" _Yes, I do!" Steffy locks eyes with her groom._

" _Then you place this ring on his finger and repeat after me."_

" _I, Stephanie Forrester, give this ring to you as a token of my affection and undying love and as a sign of our union as husband and wife."_

" _Deacon Sharpe Jr," The priest looks towards the groom. "Do you take this woman, Stephanie Forrester, to be your lawfully married wife?"_

" _I do!"_

" _Then you place this ring on her finger and repeat after me."_

" _I, Deacon Eric Sharpe, give this ring to you as a token of my affection and undying love and a sign of our union as husband and wife."_

" _Well, there we go! Now, the mothers of the bride and groom has asked that this part of the ceremony would happen."_

 _At this point, Nick stands up to help Taylor up on her feet as does Deacon for Quinn, Caroline and Amber rises on their own. The two pairs of women walk over to a large candle both pairs holding one candle in their hands. Taylor and Caroline walk over Steffy and lights the candle she has been given by Hope, Amber and Quinn walks over to DJ and lights the candle he has been given by Thomas. Steffy and DJ then turns towards each other and light a candle that the priest is holding in his hand._

" _By the lighting this candle, the vows and exchange of rings I now pronounce you to be husband and wife. You may kiss the groom!" The priest chuckles a little at the changes in the wording and ceremony that the couple wanted._

 _The kiss they share at the end of the ceremony is a slow, gentle and heartfelt kiss that causes most mothers in the pews to start crying._

 _As they start walking out of the church an instrumental version of Savage Garden´s 'Truly madly deeply' starts playing. Steffy and DJ walk out of the chapel with Christian and Wyatt following them, Hope and Thomas following behind them and then the rest of the crowd joins them._

 _Inside the chapel, the priest looks on with pride as the wedding party leave and that's when he sees the woman sitting the pew that's the furthest back from the altar. He walks over and sits down next to her._

" _So, how come you didn't leave with the rest of the people?"_

 _She looks up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm here at the grace of the bride´s forgiving heart and because I made the rings. I screwed up so badly last year that I'm surprised I'm even here."_

" _Well, after spending the last few weeks with Stephanie off and on, I can see that she has a really big heart and if she invited you to her wedding, your relationship must be on the mend."_

" _Yeah, I guess so."_

" _So, are you going to go to the reception?"_

" _No, I have inflicted my presence on her enough for today." Ivy smiles. "It was a lovely ceremony!"_

" _It was! I particularly liked the candle lighting as a way to join their respective families into one and the fact that they asked that I tell the bride that she could kiss the groom. Shows that they're a force to be reckoned with." The priest smiles._

" _Yeah, after watching the two of them together, it would seem that parts of what I did back then was actually in her best interest because she's so much better off now then back then."_

" _So, what did you do?"_

" _I went after her fiancé." Ivy smiles at the priests confusion. "No, not DJ, her previous fiancé. I also happened to be in a relationship with the best man at this wedding at the time. There are some other things as well, but I'd prefer to keep those between her and I."_

" _Well, if you got to design her wedding band, I'd say you're making great progress in getting her trust back."_

" _Maybe!" Ivy smiles shyly, before getting up and leaving. The priest stays behind._

" _Oh my, youngsters of today." Then he chuckles._

 _I'm done!_

 _Two hours later, after pictures have been taken in various constellations, Christian has the honor of calling out:_

" _Introducing Mrs and Mr Stephanie Sharpe." Everyone gathered laughs at this, as does Steffy and DJ as they walk through the doors. "Now, I believe it's time for their first dance and then we will eat."_

 _The same song as the bridal party walked into the chapel to starts playing, except this time someone is singing the lyrics. As the song starts, Steffy and DJ starts gently moving to the music, then the singer starts singing and Steffy starts looking around until he sees him walking through the door and she almost faints before getting back her composure._

" _That's…. That's… That's Jon Bon Jovi! How on earth is he at my wedding?" Then she jumps into DJ´s arms and he twirl her around on the dancefloor before sitting her down and she kisses him. Then she turns around and leans into DJ as she listens to her favorite male rock singer ever as they gently sway together._

 _The photographer has managed to capture her reaction when she saw who was singing their song, the way they spun around, the kiss and right now how she leans into him._

 _Toasts were given by the bride´s father, brother, Man of honor and bridesmaid, by the groom´s father, best man and groomsman. Eric Forrester also gave a toast._

" _There have been many moments where I haven't been as supportive or considerate as I should have been to many of my family members, but most of all to Steffy and my youngest daughter. However, as I stand here today, I can only bask in my pride in the woman you have become over the last few months and I know that it's partly because of the man you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with. He has brought my Steffy Forrester back, the fun-loving, outspoken, 'takenoprisoners'-Steffy Forrester that we all know and love back." He looks at her with pride. "You really are your grandmother´s granddaughter, but you've also inherited so much of your mother´s heart that it has me in tears every time I look at you and the woman you've become. You have been through so much in your life and you've built yourself back up every time you've fallen and when you need to, you ask for help. This last time you needed help, you didn't even know you needed it. But your father did and by making you go out with that wonderful man sitting to your left, you've fought through the fog that the death of your baby created and he really does deserve to be loved by you. Because you love hard, greatly and whole heartedly. I have never met someone as steadfast in their support of the people they love as you are, my darling, and for that I want to thank you. But, now, Everyone, raise your glasses and help me make this toast. To Steffy and DJ! May their love stand the tests of time!"_

 _When it's time to cut the cake, everyone can see that the place that did the cake had gotten a sneak peak of Steffy´s dress because the four layers of the cake had the same border as Steffy´s dress has painted on the top part of each layer and the front of the bottom layer also has the same opening with the purple that Steffy´s dress has. The bride and groom feed each other with a small piece of cake and then give each other a kiss._

 _Then it's time for the Father-Daughter dance. Ridge had chosen the music. Edwin McCain – Walk with you. As they move, it almost looks like their talking a walk around the dancefloor._

 _They followed it up with a Mother-Son dance, where Amber had chosen the song. Josh Groban – To where you are. As a tribute to his biological mother._

 _The first song for everyone to dance to was Cascada´s version of Every time we touch. Followed by a long list of different songs, ending with Rascal Flatt´s Bless the broken road._

 _But by that time, Steffy and DJ had already left for their honeymoon._

I'm done!

He's about to scream in frustration when he hears her speak.

"So, you really thought you'd be able to make him back off, did you?" She chuckles a little.

He turns around and glares at her. "I would've thought you'd want to make sure she didn't get married."

"Why is that?"

"Well, he's your brother, do you really think they'd be happy together when she's still so clearly in love with me? Would you really wish that on someone?"

Hope just looks at him. "I wish her on him, yes, because the love they share, which you clearly can't see because of your obsession with her, is going to last them through the ages. He loves all of her and she loves all of him. It's nothing like the love you and her shared. She loved all of you, you just loved her when what she was doing pleased you. I saw the signs because it's the same as what our love was. You loved me and I just loved you when you pleased me. That's not what a love is supposed to be. A true love is when both people in a relationship loved the other completely and despite of the other persons fault. That's what Steffy and my brother has and it's what Wyatt and I have."

Liam just scoffs. "You really don't mean that. She fought so hard for us to be together when she got back. That amount of love doesn't just go away."

Hope smiles. "It does when a better love comes along and that's what happened to Steffy, so it's time for you to move on. Steffy will never be to you what you want her to be. Everything you want right now, it's gone and will never be again. So, just move on and work your way back. The woman for you is out there somewhere. She's not the woman that's currently on her honeymoon with my brother right now though. Now, I have places I need to be and people to see. I hope you figure it out, hopefully before someone gets hurt. Have a good life Liam, I hope I get to invite you to my wedding, but you need to have moved on first." Hope smiles. "I'm not waiting for that though. I'm getting married whether you've moved on or not."

She waves her hand as she leaves and he sees the diamond sparkle on her engagement ring. She walks out and closes the door leaving him behind.

"Well then. I guess you've got some work to do?" The priest chuckles.

"I suppose I do?" He says with confusion. "I just don't understand why though?"

"Well, how much contact have you had with your family over the last few months?"

"Not as much as I would've liked, neither my brother nor my father has answered when I've texted or called them."

"Have any of those texts or calls been about anything other then Steffy and her fiancé?"

And that's where it hits him. "I really have been obsessed, haven't I?"

"I'm thinking you know the answer to that question."

"I need to visit my mother´s grave, she'll know what to do." So, he hurries out of the church and goes to the airport to by himself a ticket for his hometown.

24 hours later, he's sitting on a bench by his mother´s grave looking for signs to figure out what to do.

Someone sits down beside him. "So, I haven't seen you here in a while." He turns his head to his right.

"Yeah." He sighs. "I lost my way there for a while. The glistening lights of the big city got to me."

The woman chuckles. "Yeah, the posts on your former fiancé´s Instagram and Twitter let the whole world know you lost your way. What are you going to do about it?"

Liam smiles. "I'm going to grow up, let her go and move on with my life. I'm going to become a better man, not because I want her to see what she's missing, but because that's what I need to do."

The woman smiles. "Good on you!"

She then gets up from the bench and walks away. When he looks up to find her again, she's disappeared. "Thank you, mom! Say hello to grandma and grandpa!"

There´s a breeze going through the trees almost as if she's giving him confirmation that she would.

I'm done!

 **AN:**

 **Yeah, so, they're married now and Liam has woken up from his dazed obsessed state of mind.**

 **They got married a little faster then I had originally planned though. But you know, the characters kind of do what they want when I write.**

 **In regards to the conversation Christian and Karen had, leave me a comment on why you think I put that in there!**

 **Also, who is that woman Liam spoke to at his mother´s grave? Will she be back in some capacity? Who do you think she is?**

 **Oh, I want to say thank you for all the support new readers have shown through favorites, follows and reviews for all of my stories!**

 **Now, this is the last chapter I had prewritten-ish for this story and I have not started on the next one yet. My two weeks of summer vacation before my summer job starts has also been nixed in favor of working, so I don't know when I'll have the time to write right now.**


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